


From the Ashes

by princess_j3ss



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Gladiator AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-06-21 07:30:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15552699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_j3ss/pseuds/princess_j3ss
Summary: [A Pompeii/Gladiator AU.] 79 AD, Pompeii. Demons are quickly taking control of the world order, soon there will be no place for humans or half demons. A gladiator, a noblewoman, a servant, and a priest have their futures and fate interwoven by the politics that accompany the festival of Vulcanalia and the subsequent disaster that follows.  From the Ashes, a Hero Shall Rise.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, this is based on the movie Pompeii with Kit Harrington and Emily Browning, which I love despite the mixed reviews it got. So I can't take full credit for this, but it's been fun to write regardless. Secondly, I've decided, in an effort to try to finish up all the projects that I started but haven't yet completed, to start cross posting on AO3 from FFN. This story will have an ending, and to those of you who have stuck with me, thank you. To any new readers, thanks for coming along this journey with me. I love AU's, and I hope that you'll love this AU as much as I do. There is going to be a lot of death and destruction, particularly to our four main characters, so please take care of yourselves. I'd love to hear what you think, so please drop me a line and let me know!
> 
> Edit: I realized that I had a little whoopsie in the tags (I'm still not super familiar with AO3) and that I had the wrong pairings. This fic is centered around InuKag and MirSan, but that's fixed now!

**Londinium, Capitol of Britannia | 79 AD**

InuYasha's ears twitched as he stood in the dark tunnel, waiting for the Iron Gate in front of him to open. He could already smell death in the air, thick and heavy, tinged with the unpleasant copper of blood. It was sickly and overwhelming, even though he hadn't gone more than a month in the past seventeen years without being assaulted with the same scent. The rain was pattering loudly against the ground, but even that wasn't enough to clear the stench. The jeers and boos from the crowd scratched at his ears, irritating him as normal, and though he had gotten relatively accustomed to the scent of arena days, the crowd never failed to piss him off.

Seventeen years. Seventeen years since he had known what a free life was. He had been caught by slave traders when he was six, so long ago that he almost couldn't remember what freedom was like. Admittedly, he realized that seventeen years was a long time to live when his life was in jeopardy every time he stepped into an arena, every time some bastard who claimed he had more worth decided that he wanted to be entertained by half-demons and humans hacking each other to pieces. Still. Seventeen years of slavery was bound to take its toll. But what had he expected? That when his family was slaughtered, that he would merely be allowed to walk free? Half-demons and their dirty blood were hot commodities as far as slavery went, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Not for the first time, InuYasha wondered, had he been a full demon, would he have been saved from this fate? His mother probably would have blathered on about his future being the will of the Gods, but he was a little more realistic than that. Or was it cynical? Your life wasn't worth shit if your blood was mixed, hell; even humans were losing their traction with importance in the world as demons were slowly taking over. Even a lowly Gladiator slave could see that. The goddamn newfound Emperor of Rome was a demon, which really didn't ensure the survival of humans and their welfare. Feh.

Not that he cared.

The only human who had mattered to him had died a long time ago.

InuYasha was unbeatable. Undefeated in the arena, and seventeen years' worth of skills had been accumulated from fighting, and at first, watching others tear each other to pieces in the pits. Even unarmed, he could still rip his opponent to shreds. Word of the half dog demon and his skill – or was it luck? – had spread, and that was why he found himself being dragged from slave-owner to slave-owner, each one looking to get a pretty penny for the Gladiator who had cut down hundreds of men, and who was, thus far, undefeated.

The gate finally clicked, and with a loud screech, rolled open. InuYasha stepped forward into the arena, his large amber eyes taking a quick scan around to make sure he wasn't about to be ambushed. They liked to do that sometimes, apparently it upped the entertainment value. Keh.

The arena was small, a perfect square that was completely caged off, and gated high enough so he couldn't even attempt to jump or climb. And if he did, surely someone would shoot him down before he could get away. Not that an arrow would incapacitate him, but he sure as hell didn't want to start the fight at a disadvantage. The sand was slick with both rain and blood from the previous fighters. He noted that there was a group of men sitting at the top of the small arena, higher than the rest of the crowd. Demons, by the looks of it, no doubt the slave traders who would be bidding on him today. From what he could tell, they looked completely bored and disinterested. Too bad men taking each other's lives weren't enough to interest the idiots. Resisting the urge to spit, the half-demon turned away before he could really get a good look at them. It wasn't like it mattered. The only person looking out for himself was him, and he would be damned if he let himself get distracted now, and lose his victory streak in this shithole.

He could almost remember back to a time when he would first step into the arena, and his heart would pound, his palms would sweat, and his mouth would get so dry he couldn't even swallow. Gone were those days, and they were replaced with cockiness, exuding from every pore. And hell, maybe his cockiness  _was_  the reason for his victory streak. It wasn't that he enjoyed killing others, or the nightmares that had haunted his dreams for the past decade, no, that was far from it. He'd just gotten so used to it, that it was all he knew. All he could really remember. It was a dog eat dog world. Kill or be killed himself. All he knew was that he wasn't going to die today. Fuck that.

InuYasha wasn't going to die until he had avenged his mother's death.

How exactly he was going to do that, he had no clue. For all he knew, the man who had killed her was dead by now, but rational thinking wasn't really his forte.

A low growl erupted from his throat as the gate squealed open a second time, and three men emerged, fully covered with armor, which was more generous than the pathetic excuse he had been given to cover himself – it barely covered his upper torso and right arm, leaving his left arm and abdomen completely exposed. At least he'd been able to tie his long silvery hair back.

InuYasha couldn't help it as the corners of his mouth twitched up into a cocky smirk. Three to one, eh? At least they were giving him a challenge. He couldn't tell if they were humans or half-demons, and quite frankly, he didn't really care. It was better on his conscience not knowing.

A jolt of energy zapped through him, and he charged. All the aggression, anger, bitterness he felt towards countless events and countless people fueled him forward every time he was in an arena, pushing him forward, pushing him to victory, pushing him to kill so that he could live. It was almost as if he lost grips on himself and his sanity when he was forced into the arena, something took over and he ran purely on instinct, not taking the time to think about what he was going to just allowing his body to react instinctively to the danger. Only once had his demon blood fully taken over, the only time he had ever really been close to death at the hand of an opponent, but that was something he tried not to think about. It had taken him weeks to calm down, and they blurred together, he had a difficult time remembering what had happened during those weeks, and how he had snapped out of it.

After a cry, two of the men ran forward, and InuYasha quickly dodged, ducked, and kicked until he had one of them on their back, the most vulnerable position, and with one quick slash of his sword, he was down to two opponents.

Whipping around just in time to hit his sword against one of his opponent's with a loud clang, InuYasha ducked, feeling his strength pulse through him so he could push the man forward into the third and final opponent, and the two fell together into a heap.

One more slash of his sword, and he was down to one opponent.

The crowd jeering was causing his ears to ring, and he pressed them flat against his head so he didn't lose his focus.

InuYasha had assumed that the man was staying back because he was nervous, or new, but it seemed like he had been keeping back to survey InuYasha's skill. As he had fallen, his helmet had been knocked askew, and InuYasha could see a determination in his red eyes. Still, he didn't let that distract him, and the two swords met with another loud clang. He tried to duck around him, to push him forward, but the man moved his sword so quickly that InuYasha had to drop to block it from slashing through his leg.

Panting, a little jolted, but definitely not worried, he stepped to the left, and the as the man stepped to meet him, InuYasha whirled around the other side, used his free hand to land a punch straight to the man's jaw, and with another slash, the third and final opponent fell. With a quick glance around to make sure that none of them were playing dead, he turned his head and spat.

The crowd that had been loud before was now screaming, cheering for him and his victory. InuYasha rolled his eyes in annoyance, wishing he could shut them up, but even he wasn't such a brute that he would kill bystanders.  Even if it was fucked that they got off on watching half demons slice each other to pieces.  The slave traders he would have definitely taken out, but they were hardly innocent.

Taking a moment to really take a good look at the slave traders, InuYasha could see that one of them had long, silvery hair, not unlike his own. He was staring at InuYasha with such a cool, calculated disinterest, not looking any more interested than he had at the start of the match. InuYasha spat again, tossing his sword into the muck below, and turned around, watching the gate rise so he could walk back into the tunnel that would take him back to his captivity.

Another day. Another fight to survive.

 


	2. Molten Gold

**The Britannia Isles | 62 AD**

_(Seventeen Years Earlier)_

Chaos. Everything was chaos.

The pounding of horses against the dirt had jolted him awake from a deep sleep. Sometimes, they would get lone riders galloping by, but never as many horses as he could hear. Ears swiveling around atop his head and slipping out of his furs, InuYasha leapt to the edge of the tent he shared with his mother, and crouched at the entrance, just in time to see an army of men descend upon the people who had been kind enough to share their home with him.

InuYasha blinked sleep out of his eyes, looking around dazed and confused as a horde of men on horses rained down on the people. Within seconds, tents were set on fire, villagers were being cut down where they stood, unarmed, and tossed away to the side. His heart dropped to his stomach, and for a split second, a valuable second, he wondered if they were coming for him and his mother. They had been driven out of numerous villages, for the sole reason that his blood was  _tainted_. Either way you looked at it, his blood was either tainted by human blood, or tainted by demon blood; he was destined to never fit in, to always be an outsider. It still confused him, he didn't quite understand why everyone couldn't all get along, but even at the young age of six, he was already beginning to be hardened towards the world. His mother was the only person he could count on, and they had only reluctantly begun to live with a clan in the Isles of Britannia, because of the influence his father had over the region when he had been alive. At least – that was the gist of it. His mother had told him they had accepted him because they were kind people. Keh. He didn't quite buy it.

The men continued to ride around on their horses, striking blows to anyone who got in their way, and InuYasha felt an unnerving fear grip at him. They clearly weren't coming for him, if they had bothered to strike so many people down, while he was standing watching. From a closer proximity, he could tell that half of them were demons, the other half humans, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what was going on, but all he knew was that he needed to find his Mama, and they needed to get out of there. Fast. But it was almost as if the world around him was erupting in slow motion, part of him and his childlike innocence couldn't fathom what was going on, and the other part of him, the part that had been hardened to the world, knew that this was danger, and he needed to get to safety.

Not without his mother.

"Mama!" InuYasha bellowed as he swung his head around frantically, eyes wide, trying to search through the mass of terrified people for her familiar, kind face. Screams of pain, fear, and terror assaulted his ears, and the fresh scent of blood hit his nose with such aggression that he wanted to be sick. But he had to be strong. He had to be. For her.

"Mama!" He tried again, even though he knew that his voice would never reach her human ears.

And when his eyes finally landed on her, he wished that they hadn't. A man with long, dark hair that curled around him almost like snakes, had dismounted his white horse, and had his clawed hands around his mother's neck. InuYasha couldn't breathe, he felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him, and he knew what was about to happened seconds before it did.

The man's lips curled up into a sinister smirk, and through the chaos, shouted, "The governor wants these trade routes reopened. These rebels need to be taken care of once and for all, and we need to send a clear and well defined message."

Something broke inside of InuYasha as he watched the man run the blade of his sword across his mother's throat, and toss her lifeless body to the side as if she meant nothing. Any sort of childlike innocence or hope he had was gone.

"Kill them. Kill them all."

All he could feel in that moment was hatred. A rage he had never felt before, even at six years of age, coursed through him, and he crouched, ready to leap at the man who had just killed the only person on the planet who mattered to him, the only person on the planet who ever fought for him.

Unfortunately, as he was young and still developing, his reflexes were a little slow, and as he tensed to leap forward, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and as he blinked, everything went dark.

* * *

The smell hit him before he even opened his eyes. It was death on such a scale that he had never encountered before, and he leaned over to empty the contents of his stomach. Through his daze, it took him a moment to situate himself, and when he finally opened his eyes, everything came rushing back.

Tears immediately blurred his vision, and as he turned to the side, he realized that he had been tossed haphazardly onto a heap of bodies, bodies that weren't given a proper burial, and were just tossed into one giant heap as if they meant nothing.

Mama…

Part of him wanted to look for her, but the other part of him knew that he needed to get away from there. Leaning over, he retched again, and continued to dry heave until he felt absolutely empty. Wiping the tears from his eyes and cheeks, he stood up, listening intently for any sound of anyone nearby. When he didn't catch any, he sucked in a breath, and then without a backwards glance, started off towards the future.

Whatever the future held.

And he did fine fending for himself for three days. Even through the heartbreak and the grief, he was living one moment at a time. Killing when he needed to eat, finding water when he needed to drink. Trying to ignore the throbbing in his chest of what he formerly believed to be his heart. Repeat.

It was after three days of going without sleep that he passed out under a tree from the never ceasing grief, and exhaustion.

When he awoke, he was being hauled to his feet by a man whose scent he didn't recognize, and he reached out to strike the man, who immediately caught his arm, and laughed maliciously.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Someone tugged sharply on his ears, and InuYasha growled.

"A half-demon, eh? Well 'gents, looks like we just got real lucky."

* * *

**The Outskirts of Pompeii | 79 AD**

_(Present Day)_

Kagome continued to fidget, hands wringing together in her lap, even as the woman who had long since passed the role of servant, and had become her best friend and most trusted confidant, gave her a knowing look.

"Your parents will be happy that you're back." Sango reminded her once again, her tone firm and expression neutral, though her eyes were twinkling with a kindness that Kagome knew was unrivaled. Despite all of the horrors that had befallen upon her friend in the twenty three years she'd been granted life, her eyes still twinkled and sparkled in a way Kagome had never quite seen before.

"I know." Kagome nodded, even though she sounded about as uncertain as she felt. The carriage jolted, and she grabbed onto the seat beneath her, digging her heels into the floor for stability. She had decided to come back from her year abroad in Rome a few weeks early, and she knew that she would be flooded with questions about why she had decided to leave. In all honesty, she didn't want to talk about it. Even Sango, the one person in her life she could tell anything to hadn't been privy to all of the details. She didn't need to rehash it; she didn't want to think about the man who had driven her out.

Besides, she liked Pompeii much better anyway. It was home.

Emperor Titus was about as corrupt as demons came, and all of her girlish, romanticized ideals of Rome had been crushed the moment she had actually stepped foot into the city. At least in Pompeii she felt relatively safe, her parents may not have been perfect, but they ruled the city well, as fair and just as they could manage. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to relay the news to them that demons were starting to really take charge of – well, pretty much everything, and she had figured she would put together some type of explanation on the journey home.

So far, she was right out of luck.

Kagome hadn't realized how loudly she was sighing until Sango reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "Everything will be fine. Just think how wonderful it will be to finally be home." Sango had clearly missed Pompeii, as well, and Kagome was finally able to give her a warm smile.

"And we're arriving just in time for the Vulcanalia festival!"

Sango's reply was cut short, as they heard shouts and cries of "Make way for your superiors! Make way for your betters! Move it scum! Off the road!"

Kagome peered out of the window, frowning deeply as she noticed a rather large group of men, all shackled together, being herded off the road like cattle. The treatment of slaves never sat quite right with her. Her parents were kind and respectful to all of the men and women that worked in their home, and to see men being treated no better than animals was always an alarming wake-up call. And as demons continued to take control, things were probably going to get worse. The carriage rolled to a stop as they waited for the men to fully clear off the road, and Kagome clutched at the door so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Let it go, Kagome. It isn't your place to intervene." Sango warned softly, though her tone indicated she felt the same way as Kagome did.

Kagome nodded, and was about to turn away from the scene, when a man tripped and fell. In his exhaustion, he wasn't able to fully catch himself, and he fell, hard, into the mud, nearly taking down the two men who were shackled to him on either side. Both men tried to help him up, but he was down for the count, and holding the rest of the men up.

"Alright." A harsh, raspy voice cut through the silence. "Who is responsible for this?"

Craning her neck to see who was bellowing, Kagome brushed off Sango's hands at her shoulders, trying to gently pry her away from the window of the carriage. She was absolutely transfixed.

"I said", the voice bellowed again, "Who is responsible for this?" A small, squat demon man emerged from the group of gladiators. He was holding a whip in his hand, and he smacked it loudly against his palm, catching sight of the gladiator still on the ground.

"Master Jaken, I believe this man has fainted." One of the Gladiators piped up, and Kagome wasn't entirely sure whether he was trying to help the fallen man or not.

Jaken seemed as if he were contemplating for a moment, then finally, he settled on a command. "Five lashes. Someone stand him up."

"That's not fair!"

Kagome was practically leaning her entire body out of the carriage by this point, all attempts at subtle propriety thrown to the wind. The man who spoke would have looked to be a normal human man, if it weren't for the dog ears perched on the top of his head. She'd never seen anyone with ears like that, and her mouth gaped in wonder. For a small, fleeting moment, she had a strong urge to reach out and touch them, and once she realized herself, she blushed, thankful that she was far enough away from him.

The dog man continued, "He's only human, for fuck's sake. You've had us marching all day; I'm surprised he didn't pass out on ya hours ago."

While Jaken may have looked simply irritated at being interrupted before, he looked positively mad now, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head in his rage. "You forget your place, slave."

"I forget nothing."

His captor narrowed his eyes, "Speak out of turn once more, and you'll regret it, boy."

"You ignorant bastard", it seemed like he had more to say, but Jaken cut him off by punching him in the jaw. The dog eared Gladiator stumbled, but he managed to remain upright.

"Stop!"

No one was more surprised at the sudden outburst than Kagome herself, and she hadn't realized she'd been moving until she was out of the carriage, and halfway towards the men, Sango hot on her heels. The crowd of Gladiators looked towards her and Sango for the first time. Kagome felt Sango stiffen behind her, and she held out her hand to let her friend know that she had it under control. The demon looked towards Kagome, indignant that a human girl had dared to give him a command. She felt her heart skip a beat; though she kept her torso raised, maintaining eye contact, the way that Sango had taught her to command attention. In the grand hierarchy of the world, and as the daughter of a lord, her place, at least for the time being, was no doubt above him, and while she didn't normally care about such hierarchies, if she could use it to save another's life, then she certainly would. It wasn't up to anyone else to tell someone how to treat their slaves, but Kagome had never been one to stand by idly, and witness injustice.

Unsure exactly how to continue, Kagome caught eyes with Sango, but all her friend had to offer was a funny look, so she cleared her throat, and then began, "I should think you would be more civilized, especially when there are ladies present."

Jaken recoiled at that, and Kagome continued to move forward, until she had brushed past him, and was standing in front of the Gladiator with the dog ears. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a handkerchief, and held it up to him.

"What's your name?" Kagome looked up, and the second the two made eye contact, her eyes widened, and she almost took a step backwards. His eyes were a beautiful shade of molten gold, but here was an untamed ferocity in them, such a violent distrust that it made the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. He still hadn't taken the handkerchief, and she held it up a little higher.

Now she was starting to feel a little stupid. "I'm just trying to help."

"Feh. I don't need anyone's help." He said it lowly enough under his breath, making sure that she would be the only one to hear, and Kagome blanched, recoiling as hurt bubbled up in her chest, a wave of foolishness washing over her. Of course he didn't need her help. Of course he would be distrustful of anyone offering their help, just as much as he was distrustful of figures of authority. But – it made her heart ache at just how much pain there was in his eyes. She wanted to tell him it would be alright, but she knew that promise would be childishly futile.

Behind her, Jaken and Sango seemed to be deep in conversation, and Kagome, unable to continue looking at the Gladiator, turned back to them, "Please – forgive the men this time around. Get them some water, and have mercy. "

Jaken's impish face screwed up, as if he wanted to explode on her, but finally, after a moment, he composed himself, and nodded. "Your compassion is overwhelming, my lady."

Sango grabbed Kagome's hand, and started pulling her back towards the carriage. She caught a glimpse of the dog eared Gladiator spitting out a mouthful of blood, and the man who had fallen wiping mud out of his eyes, and she hoped that someone would give them water soon enough. As Sango closed the door behind Kagome, she could hear Master Jaken yelling, and the sound of a whip hitting flesh, and it made her wince.

"You're the Masters prized possession, and you better thank your lucky stars that you are, otherwise I would kill you right where you stand. The same goes for the rest of you swine. No more stopping, we're reaching Pompeii by nightfall."

Settled back into the carriage, Kagome held her breath as it jolted to a start, and she kept looking forward until they had rolled past the men, at which point she stared out the window, unable to meet Sango's eyes. Oh, how she wanted her friend to say something, to tell her it was alright, to tell her she wasn't as foolish as she felt.

She continued to stare out the window for a long while, until she finally looked over and caught Sango's eye. Her friend was very clearly trying not to smile, and Kagome knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "What? I don't think there is anything amusing about what just transpired."

Sango pursed her lips together, as if trying to decide whether to answer or not, until she finally offered up, "Neither do I, you know that Kagome. But honestly, all the eligible bachelors in Rome, practically throwing themselves at your feet, and the man who catches your attention is a half-demon slave."

Kagome scowled, "You know the only reason they're throwing themselves anywhere near me is because it's a power play, a political move. A strong alliance with Pompeii could mean everything. Besides, I was merely being kind! There is something inhumane about the way that those men are treated. And he risked his life for another man's – how could I not jump in?"

"Once again, you know that I don't disagree with you." It was unspoken, of course, but neither of the two women had any idea where Sango would have ended up if Kagome's family hadn't taken her in.

Kagome paused, then tacked on, "Honestly, I didn't help him because he 'caught my attention', I did it because it was the right thing to do."

Sango perked a brow, but she chose not to comment, merely nodding with a smile, turning to look out her own window. "We should be home, soon."

Sighing, Kagome leaned forward, sticking her head out the window of the carriage, letting the wind gently caress her cheeks as she tried to breathe and calm herself down.

She was going to be forever haunted by that mans eyes.


	3. Mending Shattered Hearts

**Pompeii | 79 AD**

As soon as their carriage rolled through the city gates, Kagome felt her anxiety about seeing her parents begin to slip away, and she pushed all thoughts of the abrasive half-demon gladiator to the back of her mind. She was home.

Everything was exactly as she'd remembered it.

Although, the streets looked much busier than she remembered, and Kagome knew it had everything to do with last minute preparations for the festival. Vendors were lined up in the streets, selling everything from different fruits, nuts, eggs, salted fish, cuts of meat to fabrics, embroidered rugs, oils, and clay pots.

Only a few minutes into the city past the gates, the carriage jolted to a halt because of all the cart traffic, mixed with citizens of Pompeii bustling about the streets, and Kagome soon grew tired with waiting. Tapping her fingertips on her knee for a moment, the brunette finally lost patience and grabbed for her friend's hand.

"Come on, Sango!" Pushing the door of the carriage open, Kagome laughed and called to their driver, "We'll meet you back at the villa!"

"But – my lady", he tried to protest, but Kagome ignored him as she pulled Sango along behind her, absolutely overjoyed to be home and nearly vibrating with excitement. They had to walk through the entirety of the city to get back to her parent's villa, the place that the two women called home, but it would be worth it to be able to walk through the city that she had missed so dearly.

It even smelled the same; it felt as though she had never left.

"Look!" Kagome laughed as she pointed to a juggler, squeezing Sango's hand and feeling pleased when her friend laughed alongside her. Holding up her skirt in one hand, so that it would not drag on the ground and get mucky, with Sango's own hand in her other, Kagome led the way through the heart of the city.  All the way past the amphitheater, and through the outskirts of the city where the crowds started to diminish, if only slightly. The pair kept walking, walking, walking; all the way along until they hit the second set of city gates. Kagome and Sango were stopped a couple of times by familiar faces wishing them well, and welcoming them back, but most of the city-goers were too busy to pay them much mind.

Her parent's villa was at the complete opposite end to the city entrance, and was completely surrounded by beauty, with the city on one side, two sides surrounded by ocean, and the fourth and final facing the beautiful Mount Vesuvius. Kagome was hit with a pang of guilt – after going out and exploring the world, she was coming to realize that she'd taken the beauty of her city for granted. She had wonderfully lovely parents, and she was suddenly overcome with the need to see them.  Taking things for granted certainly wasn't a mistake she was going to make in the future.

Sango breathed a sigh of relief behind her as they stepped through the arch that took them to the path that lead up to the villa, and Kagome squeezed her hand again, turning to face her. She knew that Sango didn't do well with small spaces, or even open spaces with many people packed together. It wasn't something she had ever asked about, it wasn't something the two of them had ever talked about, but Kagome had picked up on it. She decided, once again, not to pry, but instead to change the subject.

"Is everything just as you remembered it, Sang – Whoa!" Kagome gave a little skip, and as she did so, a small rock caused her ankle to twist in an unpleasant way, and she would have fallen if Sango hadn't reached out to catch her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kagome laughed, and to her relief, Sango laughed with her.

"Be careful, Kagome. You're too excited about the festival to have to sit it out because you injured yourself falling over a pebble."

Kagome stuck her tongue out childishly, and then turned back around so she could see where she was going, continuing to walk with a bounce in her step.

It wasn't long until the pair reached the front entrance of the villa, and Kagome smiled warmly to the two servants who pushed open the large wooden doors for her and Sango.

"Kagome!" She heard as soon as she had stepped into the foyer, and her mother, Mai, rounded the corner. "Oh, it is you! We had hoped that you might surprise us and come home early for the festival, and now you have! Here you are!"

All that worrying, and they hadn't even asked her why she decided to come home early. It was a good thing, too, because she still really wasn't sure what she would have told them.

The brunette grinned, dropping Sango's hand so she could run to her mother, and instantly she was smothered in an embrace. Her mother had been a lot more relaxed about Kagome spending a year abroad than her father had, but Kagome still suspected she had been missed all the same.

"Where's father?" Kagome asked as soon as she had pulled away from her mother's hold, though Mai kept her hands firmly on Kagome's arms.

"He should be here any minute; we were just finishing up a last minute meeting with the Lord Priest before tonight."

"Kagome!"

Kagome squealed with the force of the impact that her brother ran into her with, and laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug. "Souta! You've grown!"

Souta had been a few weeks shy of fourteen when she'd left, and it had seemed that he hit a growth spurt. Kagome pointed just below his nose with her pointer finger, "Is that hair above your lip?"

Souta laughed and smacked her hand away gently, "Is that a wrinkle I see on your forehead?"

"Hey!"

Kagome could even hear Sango's laughter ringing out with the rest of theirs, and she turned around to see her mother embracing her.

"Kagome!" A third voice chimed in, and Kagome was absolutely beaming when she turned around.

Her father, Lord Takumi, had just appeared around the corner with a man in tow, but Kagome was swooped up into a bear hug, her feet dangling off the ground, before she could register who was following in her father's wake.

"Father – I can't breathe", Kagome wheezed, and her father laughed his big, booming laugh and placed her back on the ground.

Takumi stared at her for a moment, a smile overtaking his features, before he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome home."

There was a movement behind him, and Kagome was finally able to see their visitor. "Lord Miroku!" She stepped forward to embrace him as well. She had known him ever since she could remember; he had always worked as a liaison between her family and the Holy men.

"By your leave, my Lord and Lady, I shall go check on the preparations for the festival tonight." Sango's voice cut through the room, oddly tense, and Kagome turned around to shoot her a questioning look. Sango ignored her gaze, instead choosing to bow to her father in a way that was much more formal than she might have if they didn't have company. Instead of greeting the Priest, Sango brushed by him without the slightest acknowledgement, and Kagome knit her eyebrows together, slightly puzzled at the exchange. To Miroku's credit, if he noticed, he did not show it.

"Lord Miroku has been named Pontiff Priest of Pompeii." Her father told the entire foyer in his big, booming voice, and Kagome grasped Miroku's hands. Pontiff Priests in Pompeii were essentially the link between the Gods and the common peoples, they were given the power to regulate worship, and determine ceremonies.

"Really? Congratulations! Mother, you'll have to tell me everything else I've missed while I was away."

Mai was at Kagome's side in an instant, linking their arms together. "And I shall like to hear about your grand adventures in the city of Rome."

Kagome heard Miroku telling her father smoothly, "Things will be set for tonight, as long as there are enough offerings to appease Vulcan."

Her mother led her out of the foyer, beaming all the way. Her carriage must have finally arrived, because they were suddenly surrounded by servants loading her and Sango's bags through the hallway.

"Kagome – did you buy the entirety of Rome and bring it back with you?" Mai chided, but she was still beaming.

"No, mother, of course not. Merely the essentials." Kagome tried to pull an innocent face, but it had her and her mother giggling. It was wonderful to be home.

The two women made their way through the villa, past the beautiful statues and fountains, through the large, open space in the center with no roof so one could look up at the stars, and through the winding hallways until they came to Kagome's room.

"Now, come. You must tell me of all your adventures, and you musn't leave a single thing out."

* * *

Sango had so much to prepare. They had arrived just in the nick of time for Vulcanalia, the annual festival held in the honor of Vulcan, the God of fire, which meant that Kagome's family would be hosting a large number of people, and there was a lot to do to prepare. Sure, over the years Sango had grown to feel as more of a daughter to the highest ranking family of Pompeii, but she simply wasn't the type of person to use title to shirk out of her responsibilities. They had taken her in when she was in need of it the most, and she wasn't going to repay them by being a lazy sod.

Granted, her expertise was in areas much different than cleaning and cooking and other undesirable chores, but she knew better than to complain. Things could have been much, much worse.

She had been a little shaken from her run in with  _him_ , but she was trying to brush it off and not think about it, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand.

It was hot, sticky, and humid, much more so than she remembered Rome being, though not entirely uncommon for the end of August. Besides, if Helios chose to bless them with the sun, she simply was not one to think of it as a misfortune.

Still, Sango found that she needed to take a break, and she dipped into the nearest room for a bit of shade. The air was much cooler inside, out of the sun, and she set down the basket she had been balancing on her hip so she could wipe the sweat off of her face and neck. She typically followed the latest trends and fashions and tried to emulate them as best as she could, and thankfully all the women in Rome were wearing their hair up, so she didn't have to worry about her long hair getting in the way and becoming a nuisance.

Rome certainly had been an adjustment, and she was really glad to be home. Never in her wildest dreams would she ever think about abandoning Kagome, she harbored such an intense protective instinct over the girl. Kagome was only two years her junior, but sometimes it felt like a larger gap than that, and Sango would do anything for her, she would do anything to keep her safe.

She took another few deep, calming breaths before she decided it was time to get back to work. However, the door clicked shut, and Sango tensed, unsure who had followed her, but ready to defend herself if necessary.

"It's just me."

Sango instantly relaxed at the familiar voice. Of course it was him. That stupid, idiotic Priest. She had done all she could to try to forget about him, she'd left Pompeii for a year without saying a proper goodbye, but of course he had to be there the very second she got back. It had left her feeling rattled, not because of anything he had done, necessarily, but because of the way she felt about him.

In an instant, Miroku was behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled her to him. "I've missed you." He paused, and then tacked on, "I don't believe there are enough, nor strong enough words for me to tell you how I've missed you so."

That was honestly exactly why she had left Pompeii without a proper goodbye. Sango was an intelligent woman, she knew better than to get involved with a licentious Priest. But sometimes, emotions won out over reason, and when her heart took over, there wasn't a lot she could to do stop it. With every sweet sentence he whispered to her, every time he kissed her or stroked her hair, she could feel himself claiming different pieces of her heart. Her heart wasn't whole, it wasn't in one piece, and it probably never would be. But soon, very soon, all the shattered pieces of it would belong to Miroku. And, quite honestly, she wasn't trying all that hard to keep it from happening.

Because despite his usual unreadable demeanor, she knew that she was slowly claiming the pieces of his heart, too.

What had started out as another one of her typical spirals of self-sabotage and self-destruction had very quickly spiraled into something neither of them had been prepared for. He made her smile; he made her feel safe in a world where no one was ever fully safe.

There were so many things Sango wanted to say. She wanted to tell him she had missed him too, so dearly. She wanted to tell him about Rome, about how worried she was for Kagome in that something had happened to her, and her best friend felt as if she couldn't confide it in Sango. She wanted to congratulate him on his promotion. She wanted to turn to him for advice, for guidance, for comfort, for all the things she had grown to rely on him for, and all those things that had been comparatively lacking in her trip to Rome. Unfortunately, she had never had been the  _best_  with words. Sango had never been, and never would be as crafty at spinning beautiful words out of the air as Miroku was, that was for certain.

Instead, she settled on, "Lord Priest, you have duties you need to be attending to, do you not? You must be busy with the impending festival tonight."

Miroku's grip loosened, ever so slightly, before he tightened his arms around her again, and buried his face in her hair. "Nothing is more important to me than you. The festivities can wait. The Gods can wait. I have a few precious moments alone with the most beautiful woman in all of Pompeii, no, in all of the world, and I don't intend to waste them."

Sango smiled, and decided that instead of telling him how much she had missed him, she would show him.

She turned around in his arms to face him, meeting his kind brown eyes with hers. He had gotten to know her so well in all the time that they had known each other, he could typically tell what she was thinking just by looking into her eyes. Miroku wasn't the easiest to read, himself; he masked his emotions very well and typically tucked them away for further evaluation, but she liked to think that she was getting better at reading him. His eyes were twinkling with mischief, and she anticipated his next move only a millisecond before he made it.

His lips collided with hers, gently at first, but they become more insistent, hungrier as he urged her lips open with his tongue. He slid his hands down to squeeze his favourite part of her, urging her to take a few steps backwards until Sango's back was pressed up against the wall.

Sango clung to the fabric of his robes, pulling him closer so she could press her body up against his, knowing that they didn't have much time until someone came looking for either one of them, but she had missed him too much to pay that too much mind. Her fingers started working at ridding him of his robes, and she let herself be lost in him, let the world fade away, because when she was with him, it felt like home. The shattered pieces of her broken heart were almost put back together.

Almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that I had a little whoopsie in the tags (I'm still not super familiar with AO3) and that I had the wrong pairings. This fic is centered around InuKag and MirSan, but that's fixed now! Please drop me a line and let me know what you think!


	4. Lost Souls

**Pompeii | 62 AD**

_(Seventeen Years Earlier)_

"Father, Father!" Sango's voice rang through the still air as she ran eagerly through the street to her house, where her father had come outside to wait for her. She held up her hands, palms open, so he could inspect the leaves she was holding, and he made a show of leaning in to inspect what she was showing him.

"And the function of these, Sango?"

Sango chewed her lip thoughtfully, and then recited, "The smoke created from burning leaves of a rhubarb plant can stop an attack when used against inu yokai, neko yokai, okami yokai, and kuma yokai, leaving them dizzy and without a sense of smell, and even can make them fall asleep."

"Can render them unconscious", her father corrected kindly, nodding his approval.

Sango frowned at the foreign word, "Unconscious."

"A fancy word for make them fall asleep."

"Oh!" Making sure she tucked that away in her memory, Sango tucked the leaves back into her pouch, and grinned up at her father. For generations, her family had kept the city safe from demon attacks, working closely with the Lord and Lady of the city to ensure everyone was kept safe inside the city walls. Though her mother seemed to think she was a little young to begin any formal training, her father had already started giving her bits and pieces of information here and there. Sango loved it; she wanted to learn everything that she possibly could, and as quickly as she possibly could.

It was her dream to grow up a great warrior, and carry on the family legacy.

"Now, what if you wanted to find the herb that would do more than merely render a demon unconscious?"

Sango ponder that for a moment, "Like a poison?"

Her father smiled at her, a knowing twinkle in his eye, and Sango beamed back, before turning on her heel and shouting over her shoulder, "I'll go get it!" She knew just the herb he was talking about.

Their home was on the city outskirts, close to the city's amphitheater and the villa that belonged to the Lord Takumi and his family. Sango loved living so close to the water and the wonderfully green meadow that surrounded the villa.

She had just made it through the streets to the city gates when the most curious thing happened. The earth shuddered, and then the ground began to shake. This happened from time to time, and they would attribute it to Mount Vesuvius speaking to them, or the Gods expressing either their pleasure or displeasure, so Sango paid no mind, at least not at first, and kept skipping forward.

So she kept going, until the shaking continued, becoming more and more aggressive in its force. Sango's legs were knocked out from under her, and she hit the hard ground with a shriek, instinctively curling her body into a ball and covering her head as best she could with her hands. Her heart was hammering in her chest; she had never been more terrified in her life.

The sounds were probably the worst part – it sounded like the world around her was falling apart, crumbling around her, like it was going to swallow her up whole. People were shrieking and yelling, and all she wanted was her parents. After a few seconds of the terror, she pulled her hands away from shielding her neck to cover her ears, but even that did nothing to block out the horrible sounds.

After what felt like hours, but in reality couldn't have been more than a few moments, the shaking stopped, and Sango lay still for a few moments, regaining her breath, wiping off her cheeks from the tears that had spilled over, and tried to calm her hammering heart.

When she finally opened her eyes and pulled herself to a sit, an audible gasp left her as she looked around.

The city around her was in ruins, some of the structures had held up better than others, but at least every other house had some sort of damage; some had even fallen in on themselves completely. Sango watched open mouthed with wide eyes as people throughout the street pulled themselves out of rubble, sat on the ground looking absolutely stunned, or cried out for loved ones.

Mama! Father! Kohaku!

Sango cried out, an unintelligible shriek of pain and scrambled to her feet, and began to run through the streets. It didn't take her long until she was back at her house, or at least, what used to be her house. It had completely collapsed in on itself, the structure not able to bear the force of the shaking Earth, though in her childish naivety, she had to be sure.

"Father! Mama!" She made to start wading through the rubble, unsure what exactly she was looking for and what it all meant, but someone caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Sango?"

She recognized that voice. It belonged to one of the guards at Lord Takumi's household, and when Sango turned around, he loosened his grip on her arm, and bent down so that he was level with her.

"I – I don't know what happened, one minute I was going to the meadow and then the ground started shaking and I thought I was going to fall right through the ground and then I came here and now my house is gone and I don't know where my mama is and I want my father!" Sango heard herself choking out, and before she knew it, she had thrown herself into the guards arms, crying uncontrollably.

He pat her back awkwardly, before pushing her away so he could stand up, offering out his hand. "We'll take you to the Lord; he'll know what to do."

* * *

The basic structure of the villa had been able to withstand most of the earth shaking, and though they had lost most of their ornaments and statues and decorative pieces, Takumi knew that was a small price to pay. His family was alive, none of their servants had been injured during the shake – if the Gods were trying to keep them humble, he was willing to take it.

The rest of the city, he was told from his guard, was in a state of ruin and distress, and he was not sure what the Gods plan was for doing that. The Lord had no idea how they were going to come back from this, though he knew he needed to come up with some plan of action soon, as the citizens of Pompeii would be looking to him and his wife for counsel, help, and guidance.

"My Lord", his best guard came into view, interrupting his reverie, and Takumi turned around to catch the low bow.

"The slayer family – I believe them to be wiped out. Their house was in ruins. All except for the girl."

That alarmed him, and not merely because the city had now lost its protection, but he had lost a friend and adviser as well.

Takumi nodded, "Very well. What of the young one?"

"I left her with one of the maids, my Lord. With your leave I'd like to go back and see if we can't recover the bodies."

Both of them knew there was very little chance of survival if their home had collapsed on them, but Takumi still nursed a sliver of hope, both for Sango's sake, and the city's sake.

Hours later, Takumi found himself delivering news he really did not want to deliver. Sango had been sent to stay with Kagome, and he had hopes that his daughter would do her best to be as accommodating as possible. His wife had been waiting anxiously for news; she had been devastated by the tremendous loss their subjects had faced, and even more so by news of the slayer family.

Finally alone with his wife after an incredibly long day, Takumi shook his head sadly and tried not to let his heart wrench as her eyes welled up with tears.

After a few long moments, Takumi found his voice. "They'll be laid to rest in a tomb outside the city walls, we'll bestow upon them the highest honors. Their family kept our city safe for a long time." He paused, wondering if he should tell Mai the next bit, or omit it. After a moment, he decided it was best not to keep anything from her. "They couldn't find the body of the boy."

Mai gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "So there's a chance he may-"

"There's a chance." However slim it was, seeing as the boy was no older than three. Neither of them voiced that thought aloud.

"And what of Sango?"

"She'll stay here, with us. She can work as one of Kagome's servants when the time comes."

His answer shocked himself as much as he could see the shock reflected on his wife's face, though there simply was no other option. The city owed too much to her family to let her go to the streets.

"Takumi – she's so young."

"So best we let her off to the streets? To be a beggar? Or worse? We owe her father more than that, she's no more than six, her demon slaying training has barely begun."

Mai nodded, looking down at her clasped hands. They were shaking.

"Of course. Of course. This is the best course of action; we simply couldn't induct her into the family…"

Takumi was not quite sure how he should respond to that, so he fell silent, striding across the room to sit at the table next to her. He needed wine.

They were silent for another long while, before Mai asked, "What are we going to do?"

"Rebuild the city. Recover what we lost. This is not the end of Pompeii."

* * *

**Pompeii | 79 AD**

_(Present Day)_

They had been walking for days by the time they finally got to Pompeii, during such time InuYasha had nothing to do but think of the strange woman who had offered her help. He wasn't used to receiving any kindness, and his immediate reaction was to think that she had been making fun of him. But her eyes had shone with something akin to sincerity, and it was confusing the seven hells out of him. Why would some fancy lady wish to be kind to a lowlife like him?

The Gladiators were herded in past the city walls, through the streets, and the half demon grimaced as he tried to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. It was humiliating enough to be dragged along, shackled to fifty other men, but it was another level entirely to be paraded through the streets. He could hear people muttering comments about him and the other men, and he flatted his ears against his head to try to block out the background noise. Idiots. Who cared about their opinion, anyway? They could keep it to their fucking selves.

By the time they were finally led to the amphitheater, all the way underground to the barred space where the slaves were kept, all InuYasha could think of was that he wanted to eat his gruel, and lay down in peace. He rarely did much sleeping, he couldn't remember having a good night's sleep since his mother was alive – some part of him always had to be alert, on guard. Just in case. He knew that he couldn't trust anyone; the only person watching his back, the only person he could trust was himself.

InuYasha had just received his bowl of food, and was sitting down at the table, far enough away from anyone else to signify that he didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want any conversation, when someone came to sit beside him. He rolled his eyes – how much clearer could he make that he didn't wish to speak to anyone? Talking to the other men would mean getting attached, which would just make it harder to kill them in the long run, and InuYasha was not interested. Turning to give the man beside him a glare, he was just about to let him know how unwelcome he was when the man started laughing.

"This runt is the supposed pride of the fleet, eh?"

InuYasha turned to look at him – he looked like he were some type of wildcat demon. Lynx, maybe, or even cougar – whatever he was, it didn't matter. He wasn't looking for a fight.

But apparently, the demon was.

"And he's a halfer at that! Lookie here, gents." The demon paused, placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt, "What, you think you're too good to speak to the rest of us?"

Sighing, InuYasha let out a little, "Keh", under his breath. He was too smart to let this man bait him. Still, he tightened the grip on his utensil, trying not to snap it in his fist. Smart as he was, that didn't help him much when his temper decided to take over. And quite honestly, half the time, his temper had a mind of its own.

"They say that you're the best, dog boy. Why don't you show us what you've got?" The demon leaned over, and tugged on InuYasha's ear.

InuYasha snapped.

He stood up, knocking his bowl of food out of the way in the process, and reared around, but the demon was ready, already throwing a punch to InuYasha's jaw that made him blink stars out of his eyes. He didn't have the luxury of hesitating, however, and before he could even see threw his own punch and was glad when it made contact against flesh. The demon howled, and Inuyasha blinked rapidly until his vision came back, and threw another punch; this time with much more force behind it. It landed right on the demons nose, and InuYasha felt it break upon contact.

Their spectators seemed to have been frozen in time, if only for a moment, and as soon as they heard the demons nose break, they all jumped into action; hollering, yelling, jumping on one another. It wasn't so much that they did not see enough action in the pits, more so that when too much testosterone mixed with ego was all put into once place, the consequences could be disastrous.

InuYasha kept punching, working his frustrations and confusion out, receiving a few punches of his own, but he could barely feel them through the adrenaline working its way through his system.

He was completely caught off guard, however, when someone wrapped their hands around his neck from behind. Instinctively, InuYasha reached out to elbow whoever had him in a choke hold in the stomach, but they were too quick to move out of the way, and the next he knew, he was being held down face first in the water trough.

So this was it. This was how he was going to die. Without avenging his mother, without any sort of honor.

Fuck that. He wasn't about to die in a shithole with no one to witness besides a bunch of lowlifes. His mind was going fuzzy, he was running out of oxygen, but he had to do something. With all his might, he reached for one of the man's hand, brought it to his mouth, and grinding his teeth, bit two of the fingers clean off.

Even through the water, InuYasha could hear the man howl in pain; the grip around his neck immediately loosened, and he was able to lift his head out of the barrel, gasping for oxygen, the air nearly painful as he gulped in a couple of big breaths.

He had just caught his breath when he felt someone grab him from behind, turn him around, and slam him up against the bars that secluded the different cells where they would be kept for the night. InuYasha expected another Gladiator, and was getting ready to throw a punch when he realized that he was face to face with Master Jaken. They stared at each other for a moment; the frog demon looked so angry it was if his eyes were bulging out of his head.

"This is our second altercation, boy. I won't have it happen again, I don't care that you're the Masters prized possession, if you cause any more trouble I swear to the Gods that I'll-"

"You'll do what, Jaken?"

The Gladiators had all stopped to watch Jaken ream InuYasha out, but now all eyes were trained on the tall dog demon with long, silvery hair. As soon as he had stepped into the room, he demanded the attention of everyone in it with silent power. InuYasha gulped as the man stared him down. It was the same man he had seen at the last fight he had participated in, he must have been the owner of all the slaves.

"Lord – Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken released his hold on InuYasha, if only slightly, and InuYasha could hear him gulping. "I was merely trying to teach the whelp a lesson, you see, this isn't the first time he's stirred up trouble and I…"

Lord Sesshomaru held up his hand, and Jaken fell silent immediately. He strode through the room with a cool indifference as he surveyed the damage the Gladiators had inflicted upon one another.

After a few moments, he spoke again, "It is your duty to care for these men, is it not?"

Jaken stammered, "Well yes b-but I-"

Sesshomaru kicked at one of the Gladiators who was laying on the floor; he was missing two fingers, and sighed audibly. "And how, pray tell, do you call letting them bite chunks out of each other caring for them? Particularly when there is no audience to see it."

"My – my Lord, I-" Jaken stuttered.

"Silence. This Sesshomaru will not tolerant this again. The next time an incident like this happens, it will be at your expense."

Jaken could do nothing but release his hold on InuYasha and nod, while Sesshomaru sorted out the damage.

"This one is done. This one can be fixed. This one is done. The rest of you, back to the cells."

Sesshomaru brushed past InuYasha, and the two locked eyes for a short moment. InuYasha was almost certain a flicker of recognition washed across the Lord's face, but he blinked and was certain he imagined it.

As soon as Sesshomaru had appeared, he was gone.

InuYasha made to move back to his cell, but Jaken caught him by the upper arm, nails digging into his flesh. "I've got my eye on you, dog boy."

Gritting his teeth, InuYasha moved to the cell and sank down onto the floor, completely unaware that there was another presence in the room until he heard a low whistle, followed by a chuckle. Immediately, he leapt to his feet, holding out his arms defensively in warning.

"Hey now, hey now, there's no need to be so testy. That was quite a number you did on that lynx demon out there." The stranger whistled again, and then moved so that he was in the light.

InuYasha noted that he was a human man, and had a long, black braid that hit the small of his back. He was on the smaller side, as far as Gladiators went, but he had an arrogance to him that told InuYasha he had seen his fair share of fights.

"Pretty impressive out there, I can't wait to see what you do in the pit. The name's Bankotsu."

InuYasha grunted, and moved over to sit at the furthest side of the cell.

"What? You cost me two wine rations, the least you can do is tell me your name."

InuYasha scoffed. "Feh. What are you blabbering on about?"

"I bet two wine rations on the lynx demon." Bankotsu waved his hand in the air as if he were meant to take no offense. "Doesn't matter, foolish call on my part."

InuYasha sighed. He made a point never to tell anyone his name. Mostly because it was the only thing he really owned, the one thing that no one could ever take away from him, and the one thing that still kept him tied to his mother. It was the name she had chosen for him, and he didn't want to give it away so freely. "My name's my own. I don't care about yours, and you shouldn't care about mine."

Bankotsu held up his hands, though InuYasha could see a cheeky smirk had overtaken his features. "Alright, alright. Testy much."

Neither of them spoke again that night.

InuYasha didn't sleep a wink.

* * *

They had been riding for hours through the night. Though neither he, nor his men would have needed a break anyway, pure adrenaline was pushing him forward, keeping him riding on.

She had gotten away from him, but it hadn't been hard to track her down, to figure out where she had been planning on going.

No matter what, she wasn't going to get away with the information she had obtained. He was going to find her.

Even if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think!


	5. A Deal with the Devil

**69 AD | Pompeii**

_(Ten Years Earlier)_

Miroku sighed, making a face at the water bucket he was being made to carry, expressing all of the displeasure that he could when he wasn't around his superiors at the temple. When he was around anyone else, he worked hard to stay calm and collected, but when he was alone, he could be a bit more expressive. In truth, he was fully aware how extremely fortunate he was to have been taken in by the Head Priest when his parents had passed, and not left to fend for himself on the streets. However, in his mind, that certainly did not mean that he had to enjoy every menial task they gave him.

When he had first been taken under Mushin's wing, Miroku was fascinated by the Gods. All he wanted to do was learn about them, about their power, and learn how to communicate with them. But as time went on, and he started to realize just how corrupt a Priest Mushin was.  He was a womanizer and a boozer, and well … Miroku couldn't help but start to fall into the same habits. Mushin had great spiritual power that he was slowly teaching Miroku how to utilize, though they were both using it for reasons that were not the most ethical.

Quite honestly, Miroku didn't see anything wrong with it. Maybe he had, at first, but as he had gotten older, he had become more cynical. The world had screwed him over enough, wasn't it time to take something back? He was the only one –perhaps aside from Mushin – who was going to watch his own back. Miroku was content to enjoy this life, and then take whatever judgment he got in the afterlife.

There were three temples in the heart of the city; the temple of Apollo, the temple of Jupiter, and the temple of Isis. Miroku preferred the temple of Jupiter, King of all the Gods, and God of the sky, even though much of it had been destroyed in the shaking of the earth that had occurred many moons prior. The Lord Takumi of the city had big plans to rebuild, but they were having difficulty getting investors from Rome, at least according to Mushin. Even so, his reverence to the temple was no help when he was made to scrub the temple floors.

The building was empty; Mushin was off taking care of duties elsewhere, and he whistled lowly to himself as he made his way up the temple steps.

Although, when he got to the top of the steps, just before the long hallway before the Alter, he heard a feminine voice lightly ringing off the walls.

That was odd. It wasn't a normal day of worship.

Curiously, Miroku set down his water bucket as quietly as he could, and then peered around the corner, keeping very still and very quiet so that he didn't attract the attention of the young girl. She couldn't have been much younger than he was, a mere two years or so, though she looked so small and fragile.

"I promise that I will do whatever you ask of me. Whatever price that can be paid, I will pay. Whatever task or trial you need from me, I will do it. Please, please, please. I refuse to give up on him. I know my brother is still out there. Please send him back to me. Please."

Miroku took a step closer, and in his haste, nearly kicked over one of the decorative clay vases they kept on hand. Cursing at himself, he leaned over to grab it from falling over and smashing, the young girl gasped in her surprise, turning around to face him with wide eyes. She really couldn't have been older than thirteen, but she was the loveliest woman he had ever laid his eyes on, and he had laid eyes on a fair few.

"I'm sorry, my lady, I didn't mean to startle you."

The girl opened her mouth as if she were about to send him a sharp retort, then she seemed to think better of it, and closed it. After a moment, she said instead, "I'm not a lady. I'm Sango. Just Sango."

"Well, Just Sango. I couldn't help but overhear…"

"I bet you could have." Sango seemed unable to stop the words from falling from her lips, and her eyes widened in horror at her own audacity, until Miroku found himself smiling. And then, she smiled back. Not a large smile, but it was kind of smiling that reached her beautiful eyes.

"I suppose I could have. May I claim temporary insanity, unable to stop myself from eavesdropping as I was so enthralled by your beauty?" She smiled again, so he pressed on, "Indeed, I can't help but wish to extend my sincerest help to you on the matter." It surprised even him that he wanted to help her. So far, his life had been fueled by what he could get from others, not what he could give them. Maybe his path to the Gods wasn't the one he had been chosen for, but it was a lot easier to con people when you had the word of the Gods to back you up, spiritual powers or not. Besides, even he could admit it wasn't purely selfless. If he offered his help, he would get to spend time with this beautiful woman. And, if for some miracle, they were able to locate her brother, she would be forever in his debt. The words were out there now, he couldn't take them back. He didn't want to take them back.

A ripple of emotions flashed across her face. Distrust. Apprehension. Concern. Hope. Then finally, "You – you'd really help me? What's in it for you?"

"But of course. I look to get nothing out of this, I merely wish to do my duty as a Holy Man of the city." Miroku took another step forward, taking her hands in his, noting the beautiful blush that crept up to her cheeks. "I hereby promise to help you do whatever I can in my power to help you locate your brother."

* * *

**72 AD | Pompeii**

_(Seven Years Earlier)_

The sun had come and set many times since Miroku had promised Sango that he would help her find her brother, and for the first time in all those many months, they finally had a lead.

He had waited out as long as he possibly could to tell her, for the last thing he wanted to do was get her hopes up, but he had a good feeling. This was it; this was the tip that was going to help them find Kohaku.

It still baffled him as to why he was willing to do something so seemingly selfless for another person, but over the course of the past three years, he and Sango had grown close. All of their meetings were in secret, of course, but they spent hours just talking, or hours in silence, staring at the stars, or the sun as it rose in the sky. He was convinced that, by this point, he knew Sango better than she even knew herself. Miroku could read her like a book, though it was different than how he was able to read most others, as he was reading her based off of information she'd gradually told him about herself instead of assumptions he had made.

Miroku was observant, if nothing else, and charismatic enough to charm others into doing his bidding. He sat waiting,  _painfully_ waiting for the messenger to come back with news. Sango had duties that she needed to attend to, but she would visit him later that night, long after everyone at the villa had gone to sleep, as was their usual ritual.

A young, parentless boy had been spotted in Herculaneum, and all the pieces of the puzzle had fit together to lead both Sango and himself to believe that this boy could very well be her brother.

Even with his high amount of patience, Miroku found he started to get a bit anxious with the wait, and decidedly did not move from his spot, until he spotted the messenger boy riding up to the temple on horseback.

"Master Miroku, Master Miroku! I've been given word from Herculaneum."

Miroku waited until the boy had dismounted, and then nodded, "Let us hear."

"Well …" The boy tugged nervously at his ear, avoiding eye contact with the Priest. "They said that – they said that the boy ain't match to your criteria."

His heart sank – another false lead. "And you are sure of this? You relayed all the information exactly as I told it to you?"

The boy nodded earnestly, "I swear it on me life, Master Miroku!"

Miroku sighed, "Very well. The church thanks you for you service."

Watching as the boy led the horse back through the street, Miroku scrubbed his hand along his face, wondering just what, in the Gods name, he was going to tell Sango.

* * *

Sango drummed her fingertips against one of the pillars of the temple, and Miroku sighed. He had quickly learned, and he wasn't sure it was conscious on her part, that gestures were more soothing and reassuring to her than words. She was skeptical when he tried to make her promises, not that he could blame her.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any reassuring words  _or_  gestures to give her, and he had held off long enough.

"Lord Priest? I believe you've been silent for long enough, aren't you going to tell me what the messenger told you? Has he not arrived back in the city?"

Despite the fact that they had grown close, she refused to call him by his name. He had taken to see it as endearing instead of taking offense to it. Even though they had grown close, he was sure she used it as a way to purposely keep distance between the two of them.

Miroku thread his fingers together, and thought very carefully about how to string together his next sentence. He was a man of words, after all. The last thing he wanted was for this recent development to break whatever spirit Sango had left.

"It appears that there may have been some miscommunication along the way."

Sango looked up at him, startled. "What do you mean by 'some' miscommunication?" She didn't give him a chance to even reply before she tacked on, "They can't find my brother."

Miroku reached out to reassuringly pat her shoulder, but she swatted him off.

"It's been years. He's either dead, or I'm never going to find him."

He had never heard her speak to lifelessly, and even glancing upon her eyes, it was as if, with this one bit of news, the hope and the life had been fully extinguished from what could have been a magnificently vibrant woman. She still was a vibrant woman, at least in his eyes, but he did not know what there was that he could do for her.

"My dear Sango, I…"

The brunette gave him a low curtsy that certainly did not fit their level of friendship, and avoided his eyes. "I thank you for your help in this matter, Lord Priest. I am forever in your debt. If you'll excuse me, I'm sure Lady Kagome is wondering where I've gone."

With that, she turned on her heel and slipped away, leaving Miroku gaping after her with a heavy heart. His original plan had been to have her forever in his debt, but he could care less about that now, and it left him wondering just when the point had turned that he had started caring more for another human being than himself.

* * *

Hours later, Miroku woke to the sound of footsteps in his sleeping chamber, though he maintained his position, and tried to keep his breathing as normal as possible to not give himself away. Assassinations of holy men weren't completely unheard of, and with the Gods as his witness, he had certainly swindled enough people out of their goods and Earthly possessions. Still, Miroku wasn't planning on going silently into the cursed night.

When his eyes adjusted, he was completely surprised that the shape of the intruder was quite tiny, and womanly.

"Sango?"

She stumbled in her surprise, and Miroku sat up, gesturing to her to come join him.

"Please don't mistake my surprise for anything else, but what are you doing here?" She had never visited him during the night before.

Miroku was certain, had there been light enough to see her cheeks, she would have been blushing, but still, she moved towards him with determination, and sat down on the edge of his bed. It was quite small already, but with him sitting, there was room for her as well.

Sango was quiet for a long while, and Miroku folded his arms patiently, even though inwardly he was thrumming with anything but patience. He hadn't lain with a woman in a long time, not for lack of women throwing themselves at him, but his conscience had started to kick in; and having a woman – the woman being Sango, no less – on his bed was almost too much.

When she spoke, it was almost inaudible, and Miroku leaned forward to be able to hear. "I need to forget."

And then, almost as if in a dream, she leaned forwards, and connected their lips.

Miroku felt like he was on fire. He had always found her beautiful and attractive; the rare smiles she reserved just for him, the way her eyes would widen in wonder when he would show or tell her something new of the world, the way her jaw would set with determination whenever the two would squabble.

He blamed his inability to bed other women on the fact that this woman had been slowly chipping away at his heart.

In an instant, he coaxed her onto her back, and he was hovering over her, bearing his weight on his hands, trying to place kisses to every bit of uncovered flesh he could find.

Until, he noticed that her hands were balled up in his robes, and he nearly sighed audibly as his conscience started wailing a warning at him.

This wasn't right; he was taking advantage of her when she was most vulnerable.

Still, he had a beautiful woman throwing herself at him, and his conscience was going to choose now to rear its head? Typical. And beyond frustrating. Miroku clenched his fists, balling them up in her dress before gently pulling backwards an inch.

Sango opened her eyes and sat up in alarm, and at the close proximity, even in the dark, Miroku could see self-consciousness flit across her features.

"Sango." Miroku placed his hands on her shoulders, and rubbed his thumbs in soothing circles. "You're upset; I'm not going to take advantage of you like this. You mean more to me than that." His words clearly surprised the both of them, and to save face he tacked on, "If you're still feeling this way a week from now, I will be more than gladly to help you out."

She was chewing on her lip, and for once, he couldn't quite read her. Was she offended or relieved?

After a moment of unbearable silence, she nodded, avoiding his eyes completely. "Can I … stay with you tonight?"

Miroku smiled, relieved that she hadn't run away on him and mistaken his rejection. "Of course, my dear. Of course."

* * *

**79 AD | The Outskirs of Pompeii**

_(Present Day)_

The meadow beside the Lord's villa was absolutely full with the tents of the Romans who had come all the way from Rome to take part in the Vulcanalia festivities. People were roasting meat on spits above fires, grooming horses, and firmly planting their Roman banners in the grass.

Takumi and Mai strolled through the field, smiling pleasantly at the people surrounding them, though the very firm Roman presence was making Takumi a little wary. Emperor Titus was known to be a rather corrupt demon, and the fact that Pompeii was run by a human family was common knowledge all throughout Rome. Mai threaded her arm through Takumi's, and leaned towards him as they walked, lowering her voice so none of the people surrounding would be able to hear her.

"Don't be worried, my love, the plan you have come up with for the restoration of the city is brilliant. Only a madman would advise the Emperor against investing."

Takumi tried to take his wife's assurance, and appear as stoic as possible, but inwardly, he was feeling extremely nervous. In fact, he was feeling more nervous than he had felt in quite some time. He had a feeling of foreboding that he hadn't been able to shake.

Instead of voicing any of his concerns, he merely smiled. "Then let us hope he hasn't sent us one, hmm?"

One of the Roman soldiers pulled the flap of the tent opening aside so the Lord and Lady could enter, and immediately they noticed that the man waiting inside was turned away from them. His hair was long, longer than even Mai's, and jet black. He waited a moment before he turned around, and when he did, it became clear even in the dull light of the tent, that his sharp eyes were blood red.

Mai tensed beside him, and Takumi stepped forward, pulling her along gently with him.

"Senator! Our humblest apologies that we were not able to receive you at the harbor. I do hope you have all settled in to your liking?"

"Takumi!" The man made a show of bowing his head, just slightly so, in a way that seemed more mocking than sincere. "You're a busy man, I understand entirely. Besides, if I had a wife as lovely as yours, I would be in no hurry to forsake her company."

Mai looked at Takumi as Naraku stepped forward, reaching out to take her hand and bring it to his lips, again in such an exaggerated way that it seemed more over the top than genuine pleasantry. Still, she was smiling brightly, and Takumi felt a rush of adoration for his wife.

"I am Naraku of Rome, Senator to Emperor Titus. May the Gods grace me to bless your kind hospitality."

"You are most welcome, Senator." Mai smiled warmly and gave a polite bow of her head, and after a brief pause, Takumi did the same.

"So, Senator, tell us the news from Rome, how does the new Senator fare?" Takumi interjected, trying to switch the focus of the conversation, for Naraku had been staring at Mai much too long for his liking.

Naraku's eyebrows shot up, and Takumi looked at his wife n alarm, unsure if he had made a mistake. The Emperor had officially come into power less than a season prior.

"The  _new_  Emperor?" Naraku repeated, almost looking as though he were amused. "The new Emperor fares well. Though, while we are on the topic, I noticed a rather curious thing, Takumi." Naraku moved around the tent to sit down at his desk, folding his hands together on top of it.

His gaze was so intense that it was all Takumi could do not to shift his weight around from foot to foot.

"On my journey here from the harbor, I noticed some of your townsfolk blatantly turn their backs on the banner of Rome." Naraku's gaze was piercing, unforgiving. "There wouldn't be some sort of problem, would there? Some local resentment against Rome?"

Takumi paused, only for a mere second, and afterwards, he worried that the pause was a mistake. If Pompeii were to continue thriving and flourishing, it would need investment from somewhere, and if they weren't able to receive it from Rome, he wasn't sure where else to ask. It had already been years since the shaking of the earth that had brought such destruction to their city, and they still hadn't fully recovered from it. "No, of course not. It must have been a minuscule misunderstanding. The citizens of Pompeii support Emperor Titus, and the advancement of Rome."

Naraku raised his eyebrows once more, and Takumi took that as an invitation to keep speaking.

He stepped forwards, closer to the table, ignoring the feeling of unease that grew in the pit of his stomach as he did so. The fate of their city was depending on this investment. "The plans for the reconstruction of the city will provide the people with better sanitation, bigger bathhouses, a new Amphitheater and arena! We can fully rebuild and restore the Temple of Jupiter. We can provide a new Pompeii. A better Pompeii."

Naraku was silent for a moment, before he repeated, as if he were holding back a large amount of mirth, " A new Pompeii." Then he pulled his scroll towards him, and started writing, effectively dismissing Takumi and his wife.

As soon as they had left the tent, Mai thread her arm through his, and waited until they were out of earshot, before she said, "I think that went well."

Takumi cleared his throat. "Do you really think that we can do business with him?"

Mai paused, and then, ever positive, nodded. "He wouldn't be here if the Emperor was not interested."

The couple clasped their hands together, and shared a triumphant shake, though Takumi still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding, uncomfortable and sitting low in his gut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season and is ready for all the good things (if we all collectively think positively maybe the world won't fall apart this year) to come in 2019! Thanks for reading, and please drop me a line to let me know what you think.


	6. Sons of War

**Pompeii | 79 AD**

Kagome sighed as she gazed out into the meadows, resting her chin on her palm, her elbow resting on the cold stone. She was trying her best not to feel betrayed by her parents, but she wasn't quite succeeding. How could they invite half of Rome into Pompeii? It seemed as if her wicked past had followed her, and she wasn't sure how best to proceed.

She hadn't run away from Rome, at least, she did not see it that way, but Pompeii was supposed to be her safe haven. Kagome couldn't help but feel like she'd led the devil right to her friends and family, even if she hadn't been the one to extend the invitation.

She was more worried about the implications of what this would mean for not only her family, but for the citizens of her city. It was a city she was proud of, and the last thing she wanted was for it to be infiltrated by snakes. Kagome was certain her father had no idea what he had just invited into their home, and she wasn't sure how to warn him without having to tell her entire tale. And she wasn't ready for that. Not quite yet.

"Kagome? Kagome, my dear!" Her mother's footsteps echoed throughout the room, and Kagome smiled lightly, but continued to look out the window.

Mai came to stand beside her, looking out the window for a moment before she turned and started stroking Kagome's hair, a gesture she used to do all the time when Kagome was younger, and it almost made her burst into tears.

"My child. You weren't ready to tell me before, but are you ready now? What's troubling you so?"

Kagome moved away from her mother's touch, comforting as it was, and tried not to phrase her question in a way that was too accusational. "Why are they here? Why would Father invite them into our home?"

"If we want Rome's rich to spend their money here, we must keep up with what they demand. My girl, you know how long it's been since the destruction that came with the earth's shaking. It's high time we restore this city back to what it once was, and unfortunately, there is no other way than to turn to Roman investors."

"Does Father have any idea of what's going on in Rome right now?" She really hadn't meant to tell her mother these kinds of things, but once she started, Kagome couldn't find it in her to stop. She finally turned away from the window, to face her mother.

"Ever since Emperor Titus took power, everything has changed. Demons are horrible to humans, absolutely dreadful. And half-demons are being treated even worse than they ever have been before. Every crooked demon in Rome now has the ear of the Emperor. Some of his Senators are the cruelest and most twisted of them all, and they assume that they can just take whatever they want."

A flash of concern washed across Mai's face, and Kagome immediately knew that she'd said too much. The last thing she wanted was to unnecessarily worry her mother.

"Kagome." Her mother paused for a moment, though her eyes never left her daughters once. Reaching out, she took Kagome's hands in her own. "Why did you really come home early? What happened in Rome?"

Kagome snatched her hands from her mother's grip, and smoothed out her skirts, deciding that feigning annoyance was better than anything else. "I simply had my fill of it. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go see if Sango needs help with preparations for tomorrow evening."

She and her mother never fought, and Kagome felt horrible as she spun on her heel and marched out of the room, but the less her mother knew, the better. The less she knew, the less chance she had of getting hurt.

Unfortunately, she knew she would not be able to keep her family with this new development.

Her demons were inside the city walls.

* * *

_Everything around him was chaos. InuYasha was crying out for his mother, looking around frantically throughout the carnage and the slaughter._

" _Mama!"_

_Before he could begin to move in her direction, her throat was being sliced open, blood immediately gushing from the wound, and her lifeless body tossed aside as if she were nothing more than a doll._

" _Mama!"_

BANG.

"Wake up, scum."

One of the guards was running a wooden mallet along the metal bars, banging it whenever they could above any of the prisoner's heads, and the clanging immediately assaulted InuYasha's senses. He awoke with a start, his ears pressing flat against his head of their own volition. The number of neglected men that they had in the cells was clearly starting to take its toll, because while it certainly had not smelled pleasant before, even after one night, it was starting to smell absolutely rancid.

He dreamt of his mother often, though he wondered if he remembered her face correctly. He could still hear her voice sometimes, if he concentrated hard enough. The dream had rattled him, and it took him a moment to register that someone was staring at him from across the cell.

InuYasha jumped again, while Bankotsu sat across from him on the other side of the cell, his lips curled up into what could best be described as a predatory grin.

"Rise and shine, dog boy."

InuYasha grunted and stood up, cracking his neck and shoulders. He'd had less comfortable nights, but he still felt uncomfortably stiff.

Bankotsu took a step closer to him, and InuYasha immediately fell into a fighting stance, snarling lowly under his breath. The man in front of him merely chuckled, not phased in the slightest.

"Relax, mutt. If I were going to kill you, I'd have done so by now."

"I'd like to see you try", InuYasha spat out through clenched teeth, though he straightened up, keeping Bankotsu in his line of sight through his peripheral vision while he bent down to retie the laces of his sandals. As much as he really did try to keep his temper under control, and try not to let anyone get under his skin, it was a lot easier said than done. There was something about this man that drove him crazy.

"You thought about telling me your name yet?"

"Feh."

"I'll take that as a no."

InuYasha glared at him, and was immediately irritated to see that his was grinning again.

"Apparently we're all to train today, so they can figure out what to do with us in the games tomorrow."

The dog demon grunted again, though he was a little more curious this time, and hoped that his cellmate would keep talking. He wasn't disappointed.

"Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll pick you as my opponent."

"You don't get to pick your opponent." He shot back irritably.

It took all of InuYasha's limited self-control not to smack the smirk right off Bankotsu's face. A part of him wondered if the human was merely trying to get a rise out of him for fun, and InuYasha was absolutely itching to take the bait.

" _You_  don't."

After a breakfast of stew and bread, InuYasha and his fellow gladiators found themselves outside in the heat, so humid it was almost unbearable. The air was thick and sticky, the August sun licked at his skin, and he had to tie his long white hair back just to feel a little cooler.

The Amphitheatre was greater than any that he'd fought in for quite some time, although he had a sinking feeling that, because these games were to take place for some festival, the slave owners would be forcing them to go all out.

He was going to be downright  _pissed_  if anyone tried to make him fight a fucking lion again.

It took a little time to get used to the sand; he was used to fighting in dirt or mud, and after spitting out sand from having it kicked up by the people walking around him, InuYasha decided that he hated the stuff.

The gladiators were given wooden swords and shields, and InuYasha knew from experience they could make an impact on a human's skin if swung hard enough, but none of the swords could be used to injure, or even kill.

Why would they let the Gladiators actually attack each other when there was no one there to see it?

He had taken to putting half the effort in, compared to real matches, when it came to practices. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to pick up any of his moves or fighting techniques, and be able to anticipate his next move. Strategic moves weren't really his strong suit, he mostly relied on his strength and stamina, and it would have been a real shame for someone to defeat him based on strategy alone.

Swinging his wooden sword around in a few circles, InuYasha loosened up his wrist, waiting for further orders as the gladiators around him started pairing up, and fighting each other. None of them looked like they were really giving it their all; in fact, one human almost looked as if he were going to pass out from the heat and exertion.

After scanning around the arena, he was almost shocked to see Lord Sesshomaru sitting in the shade on one side of the arena, his features stoic as InuYasha had ever seen, though his golden eyes were glinting.

What could he possibly want?

"Oi, mutt!" Jaken nudged his shoulder with the handle of his whip, "That's enough standing around, get to work."

Looking around, InuYasha searched for the nearest man, and was immediately irritated when he saw that it was Bankotsu, who was standing with his wooden sword in the sand, leaning on it. He gave InuYasha that cocky smile that the dog demon had grown to despise.

"Looks like it's you and me, huh?"

"Shut up and let your sword do the talking." InuYasha crossed the distance between them in two long strides, pointing his wooden sword at his opponent, blood boiling in a way that it hadn't in quite some time. He knew better than to let someone get under his skin like that, but unfortunately, Bankotsu had succeeded..

"With pleasure."

"Let's see what you've got, human."

"Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you."

With that, InuYasha lunged.

Forgoing his normal strategy of using half strength, he drove his practice sword forward with as much strength as he had. The dog demon sliced through the air, and was thoroughly surprised when it met the resistance of a shield, and not flesh. He barely had time to recover before Bankotsu was swinging his own sword; InuYasha twisted and jumped out of the way, landing in a crouch while the wooden blade sliced through the air where he had been only seconds ago.

And then, Bankotsu was swinging, slicing, advancing on InuYasha in such a way that an opponent had not advanced on him in quite some time. He ducked, crouched, and spun out of the way, but, despite his smaller stature, Bankotsu was fast, strong, and seemed to be able to predict the move that InuYasha was going to make a second before he even made it.

_Damn him._

InuYasha cried out in fury, leaping a few feet off the ground, and driving his sword in the direction of Bankotsu's shoulder, but the brunette veered out of the way a second before the wooden blade made contact, and then the two were deadlocked, each swinging their swords, each blocking the other's attack, around the arena.

This was clearly more than survival or practice, now. This was personal.

In the back of his mind, InuYasha realized that the rest of the gladiators had stopped fighting, and had formed a circle around him and his opponent. They were clanging their wooden swords against their shields appreciatively, and it was distracting. Flattening his ears against the back of his head, he growled, missing another close strike that Bankotsu shot his way.

It was baffling to him, how a human could be so strong, and he wondered for a split second if somehow, Bankotsu was a half demon, and he had missed it.

So caught up in his thoughts, Bankotsu took the opportunity of InuYasha being fractionally distracted to stick out his leg. InuYasha nearly missed it, but his foot caught on Bankotsu's, and he stumbled, his weight thrown. His opponent took the opportunity to smack him with the sword, and InuYasha went down, rolling in the sand. Sand was everywhere, in his eyes, sticking to his hair, his skin; creating a paste in his mouth. It was vile.

The men surrounding them cheered, clanging their swords against their shields with a fervor, and InuYasha jumped to his feet, spitting out sand and growling as he swung his sword around a few times, clicking his wrist.

He had underestimated this human, and it wasn't a mistake he was going to be making again.

Bankotsu held up his sword, and pointed it at InuYasha, smirking. "You've earned your reputation, mutt, I'll give you that. But not against someone as well trained as me."

This time, when InuYasha lunged, he tried a slightly different tactic. He thrust his sword forward a couple of times, and then when Bankotsu advanced him, he grabbed his arm, throwing his opponent off balance, and threw a punch, not holding back any strength, and hit the brunette right in the nose.

He heard a crack, and Bankotsu snarled, a stream of expletives leaving his mouth. He leaned over, spat, and then reached up to snap his nose back into place without missing a beat.

"That was a dirty fucking trick, half breed."

"I'd rather be a half breed than a pathetic human like you", InuYasha growled, lunging again. This time, all bets were off. He had half expected someone to pull them apart and reprimand them, but apparently the slave owners were enjoying the show too much.

This time, when Bankotsu lunged, InuYasha swerved slightly to the side, capturing the blade under his armpit, and then he kicked out, placing the flat of his foot against Bankotsu's chest to push him backwards, ripping the sword out of his hands.

The man looked feral now, eyes as wild as if he  _did_ have demon blood coursing through his veins.

Bankotsu snatched a sword from one of the surrounding Gladiators, and then, as an afterthought, snatched a second one.

"Now we're even", he spat out through clenched teeth, his calm and collected façade quickly disappearing. As much as InuYasha loathed himself for caring, he felt a sense of satisfaction. Even if he didn't win the match, he at least he had gotten under the man's skin, the way that Bankotsu had done to him.

The two charged at each other with such ferocity that InuYasha barely had time to register one move before he was sliding into another. Blocking, slicing, stabbing, lunging, it all became a second nature to him, and he was thinking of nothing except for his and Bankotsu's multiple blades.

Bankotsu was snarling at him, and they were barely giving either time to step back before advancing again. It wasn't like much could be done with a wooden blade, but clearly neither of them wanted to admit defeat.

After what seemed like hours of fighting, Bankotsu got the upper hand, and managed to knock InuYasha off balance, throwing him to the ground once more, though instead of stepping back as he had last time, he threw himself down to the ground, pinning InuYasha.

A split second later, and InuYasha would have found one of Bankotsu's blades at his throat, but he managed to wrap his hands around his opponent's upper arms, and knocked him off balance. The two of them rolled through the sand, kicking and howling and scratching and snarling until finally,  _finally_ InuYasha got the upper hand once more

It was time to end this bullshit.

The two still grappled even though InuYasha had Bankotsu pinned, and had no intention of letting him get the upper hand again. The men surrounding them caved in, bellowing and hollering; there was barely room to move or breathe, and the slave traders started yelling, pushing forward to see about breaking things up.

Unbeknownst to either of them or the Gladiators surrounding them, the lynx demon that had attacked InuYasha the night prior had a small hidden blade on him. As soon as attention was diverted, and InuYasha had his back to him, the demon pushed through the crowd surrounding the two men and, blade raised high in the air, aimed straight for InuYasha's back.

All InuYasha was aware of was Bankotsu's eyes going wide, and then he was being pushed off to the side, while Bankotsu lifted his foot. When the lynx demon thrust his blade, the blade met air where InuYasha's neck had been, and his face came into contact roughly with Bankotsu's foot.

The slave trainers finally intervened, pulling a slightly dazed InuYasha roughly to his feet.

Everyone was looking around, slightly confused, until all eyes landed on the lynx demon, who was clutching his nose and attempting to snap it back into place. His hidden blade was lying beside him in the sand.

InuYasha looked from the blade to Bankotsu, who stared back completely unflinchingly.

"I think that's enough for today", though his voice never raised in volume, Lord Sesshomaru was as commanding as ever, and Jaken made his way through the gladiators into the middle of the group.

"You heard the Master! Get a move on, scum!"

Back in their shared cell, Bankotsu and InuYasha moved around in awkward silence, avoiding eye contact with each other, until finally, InuYasha cleared his throat, and worked up the courage to ask.

"Why did you do that?"

Bankotsu, who was lying on his side of the cell, arms raised behind his head, made a show of inhaling, and then exhaling in the way that one does when asked a stupid question by a child.

"No Gladiator deserves to die from a blade to the back."

InuYasha trained his golden eyes on his cellmate, though Bankotsu still refused to look in his direction. That was … not quite the answer he had been expecting. Despite all his cockiness and bravado, apparently Bankotsu still had a shred of decency, and InuYasha felt a little sorry for breaking his nose.

Rubbing the back of his neck, and frowning when his hand came away covered in sand, InuYasha cleared his throat again, somewhat awkwardly, then decided to voice his feelings. "Sorry about your nose."

The brunette finally looked at him, and when the two made eye contact, Bankotsu was smirking.

"When you die, the blow will come tomorrow, from the front, and it will be from my blade."

For some reason, the words did not aggravate him quite as much as they might have earlier that day, and the corners of InuYasha's mouth twitched. Maybe it was the fact that they had quite literally just kicked the crap out of each other, and he couldn't bring himself to hate this man any more, or maybe it was a camaraderie that formed from being saved by someone, but the cockiness did not had the same effect that it did on him earlier that day. Or maybe, just maybe it was that InuYasha was able to see Bankotsu's situation for what it was – the exact same as his own. Each were killing to survive, to save their own sorry skin, and each had made it far in a life where men dropped like flies around them.

"I'll make you a better promise", InuYasha leaned forward. "When  _you_ die, it will be quick. And it will come from my hand."

Bankotsu grinned. "Bring it on, dog boy."

* * *

Sesshomaru leaned forward in his private quarters, interlacing his long fingers together as he rested his chin on his hands. There was something entirely too familiar about the newest purchase that he had acquired, the half dog demon from the Isles.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, he decided that it was simply beneath him, and that the slave deserved no more thought; he wasn't worthy of it.

Still – as much as he tried to dismiss the half demon, he couldn't help but shake the nagging feeling.

Lord Sesshomaru was no fool, and he hated feeling like he was missing something.


	7. Desperation

**Pompeii | 79 AD**

**The Festival of Vulcanalia**

InuYasha barely had time to breathe before there was the clattering of a wooden rod being dragged along the metal confines of the cells he and his fellow Gladiators were being kept in.

"Up and at 'em, scum."

The slave traders started pointing certain Gladiators out from their holding cells. Both he and Bankotsu were pointed at, the door to their cell opened, and they were ushered out of their cells, manacles immediately clamped around their wrists.

InuYasha's heart started pounding in double time – what were they playing at? It couldn't nearly have been time for the festival games to start, and they certainly wouldn't have the Gladiators try to kill each other, or line them up for a different sort of slaughter without an audience. Still, every single nerve felt like it was on overdrive, his ears swiveling around atop his head trying to pick up on every single sound.

Bankotsu let out the bark of a laugh behind him, and the chained men were pulled forwards. It was disorienting, spending so much time in tunnels underground – time slipped away, whether it was morning or evening. Even his internal clock began to become confused, and InuYasha was a little taken aback when he was lead above ground only to find it was dusk.

Being paraded through the city by Jaken and the others was humiliating enough, and InuYasha felt even more on edge as still could not figure out what was planned for him. He could hear music and frivolity coming at him from every direction, which confused him more than anything.

Ushered through the streets of the city, the Gladiators were finally brought into one of the most extravagant living quarters InuYasha had ever seen. In fact, upon first sight of it, he almost thought it was some sort of temple, but after being ushered in, he realized that there were individuals who inhabited the villa.

He was overwhelmed by how many people were milling about, even in such a large space. The chatter made him press his ears flat against his head, more out of habit than anything else. It would have been nice to eavesdrop, but the noise was too much, and he was sure he was about to find out his purpose soon. The most delicious aromas came next, there were tables, piled higher than he could have ever imagined with food and drink. And the gold! Everywhere! InuYasha had never taken himself to be a particularly indulgent individual, but even he couldn't stop staring at the different tokens littered throughout the space.

Jaken finally grabbed at InuYasha's upper arm, halting the procession in the middle of an open room. There were six small stools lined up in a row, and he pointed his whip at the first one. "You!" He barked, "Here."

Obediently, the half-demon stepped up onto it, for the pure reason that he was, in fact, too distracted by the decadence he was surrounded by, and he no longer felt as if he were in any immediate danger. As much as he was intrigued, he was also a little disgusted. There were so many who lived without, and there were people who lived with such excess. He wondered how many servants it took to man a palace such as this.

The other Gladiators were quickly brought into line behind InuYasha, and he turned around, catching Bankotsu's eye, who was sporting a sneer that seemed to summarize exactly how InuYasha was feeling.

Patrons of the festival soon were drawn in by the line of men, women flocking to them as InuYasha heard one of the slave traders start to negotiate a price, and Bankotsu snorted as InuYasha turned back around, even further disgusted.

"May as well enjoy today, dog boy. Since tomorrow will be your last."

* * *

Miroku was leaning against a pillar, nursing what had to have been his fifth goblet of wine, assuring anyone who gave him startled looks that it was the will of the Gods, particularly during the time of such a festival. He was still quite coherent; years of drinking under Mushin's guardianship had taught him how to handle his substances. His eyes scanned through the crowded room – the entirety of the city must have been invited to the villa, with how crowded it was – looking for the one person he wouldn't have been able to approach, even if he could find her.

Instead, he caught sight of the Lord and Lady of the city, marveled at how much Kagome looked like her mother, and rushed over to greet them. "My lord! My lady! How I thank you for your kind hospitality."

"My good Priest, how very kind of you to come to our humble gathering!" Takumi held out his arm for Miroku to take, and they clasped forearms, shaking and grinning.

Miroku grinned back, though mostly out of irony. There was nothing humble about the lengths they were going for this festival, but seeing as they were entertaining important visitors, Miroku couldn't blame them. Besides, he wasn't one to mind a little decadence himself. Or rather, a lot of decadence.

Swishing what was left of the wine around in his goblet, he felt inspired, "Master Mushin and I were speaking earlier about how the Gods will be looking favorably upon Pompeii until the next festival of Vulcanalia", he pronounced, completely on a whim, as they had no conversation earlier that day, or any day. But Miroku was nothing if not a master swindler, who could talk his way into and out of any given situation.

"Oh! How wonderful!" Mai clapped her hands together, and Takumi clapped Miroku on the back.

"How about we all have some more wine?" Takumi declared.

Miroku grinned. What a lovely idea.

* * *

Kagome used to love the extravagant festivities that her parents would host, but even now, she couldn't quite muster up the excitement needed to play the hostess role, and instead, she was drinking wine down in the kitchen, absentmindedly helping Sango with dishes. This particular festival seemed to be even more decadent than any of the last, and for some reason, it was not sitting quite right with her. It wasn't helping that her friend would smack her hand every time she tried to assist, letting her know she was just getting in the way.

It was distressing and disturbing, fleeing from Rome, only to have her demons chase her back home. She felt utterly trapped, her father was welcoming these monsters into their city with open arms, and she had been completely powerless to stop it.

All she could hope was that the one man who had driven her away had not followed her.

Kagome felt as if she had been forced to grow up in a very short amount of time, and even the girlish giddiness she had felt arriving home only a few days prior had worn off. It gave her even greater sympathy for her closest friend, who had to grow up quickly due to even more dire circumstances than her own.

As if on cue, Sango reappeared, looking slightly flushed and even possibly amused. "Kagome? Your parents are looking for you, what do you say about making a brief appearance before coming right back down here?"

Kagome nodded, it had been too good to be true, believing that she could evade the festivities for the entirety of the night. Still, she nodded, grabbing her friend's hand and allowed herself to be pulled up the winding staircase to where all the significant individuals of Pompeii were drowning themselves in merriment.

"Are you enjoying the festivities, at least?"

"I will, once I make sure that everything is perfect."

"Sango", Kagome turned serious, turning to face her companion, "You know you've become more to our family than a servant, you're well and entitled to take a night off and enjoy yourself. And if anyone tries to give you a hard time for that, then can report straight to me!"

It seemed to slip through her stoic exterior, but Sango giggled, nudging Kagome's shoulder. "I had no idea Rome had turned you so tough, my lady."

Debating whether to smile or to burst into tears, Kagome grabbed both of Sango's hands, squeezing them tightly in her own.

"Sango … about what happened in Rome I-" Kagome blurted out, ready to finally share with her closest and most loyal friend about what she had become privy to, but her mother interrupted their moment.

"Kagome! Sango! Your father and I have been looking all over for you two, my darlings!" Mai spread her arms wide, throwing them over both the girls' shoulders. Sango gave Kagome a curious look with furrowed brow, but Kagome merely nodded and smiled for her mother.

"Yes mother, I apologize, I was taking too long to get ready. I picked up many different dresses in Rome and couldn't decide which one suited the festival best." It shocked her how easily the lie rolled off her tongue, especially to her mother, whom she was always open and honest with.

Rome really had changed her.

And then, so suddenly that the sight took her breath away, she spotted him. There, standing half naked, shackled, and looking utterly helpless, was the half-demon that she had encountered on their journey back to the city.

Kagome felt as though she had been zapped with a jolt of electricity and gasped, hand flying to her mouth and, as if he heard, the dog eared demon with the beautiful golden eyes turned to her, and their eyes met.

He looked equally as shocked to see her as she was him, and his large eyes were so expressive it was as if she could feel every bit of suffering he had felt. It felt like hours she stood there, though it was only a few mere seconds, both of them unable to look away and break the spell, even from across the room.

"Kagome?" Mai turned towards her daughter, looking concerned, and following Kagome's line of sight to the dog eared Gladiator.

The sound of her mother's voice snapped her out of the daze, connection broken immediately as she turned to face her. Kagome was unsure why she was reacting so strongly, why she felt such an overwhelming compassion for this strange man. Her parents had never before brought Gladiators to their parties to be ogled at, and the Gods only knew what else, and she decided that's why it was affecting her so, because the possibility of anything else was too terrifying to face.

Sango cleared her throat, "I shall go and attend to the … uh …" she trailed off, turning on her heel and disappearing out of sight.

"What is the meaning of this, mother?" Kagome asked calmly, quietly, her voice betraying none of the inner conflict she was feeling.

Mai flinched though Kagome's tone was nothing but collected, and turned to look at the men herself, choosing her words carefully.

"Your father thought it best if we put a prudent foot forward to welcome the Senator into our home."

"Why are we welcoming them into our home in the first place?!"

Kagome could tell her mother was weighing how honest to be with her, and she was about to inform her mother that she wasn't a child any longer, when her mother surprised her. Mai took Kagome's hand in hers, and led her into one of the spare rooms lest they be overheard.

"Oh my dear girl. We need investors, Kagome. We still haven't fully recovered from the shaking of the earth all those moons ago. Your father and I do not wish to worry you, nor Souta, but we can't keep going in the state we are in. Too much damage has been done; we simply do not have enough to rebuild the city ourselves. We're doing everything we can to appeal to the Senators, but your father is worried it might not be enough, and if that is so, we're not sure what we will do. Everything your father is doing, he does for you and Souta. To make sure you have a good life when we venture into the underworld."

"But-" Kagome ran her hand through her hair. If her parents allowed the demons to invest in the city, she would never be rid of them. They would never be able to repay that debt.

"Mother…" She had come so close to sharing what had happened to her in Rome with Sango, maybe she could be honest with her mother, as Mai had been honest with her.

The noblewoman struggled with herself for a moment, and finally decided that what her mother didn't know would only protect her. Her secrets would only put Mai in the same jeopardy Kagome found herself in.

Exhaling, she stood on her toes and gave her mother a kiss to the cheek. "Please be careful, you and father both. Some debts aren't worth being repaid."

* * *

Hidden away from the rest of the festivities, Takumi had managed to pull Senator Naraku away from the party, and was showing him large wooden models he had the finest carvers in the city construct, showcasing how great Pompeii could be in they had the resources to rebuild. He knew it wasn't going to be an easy sell, but he could not shake the feeling that everything was riding on this moment, and he would be damned if he was going to let it slip from his grasp.

The final, largest model was right by the window of the villa, looking out over the sea. Unforgiving as the sea was, Takumi had always loved it, and insisted that his most prized room looked out over it. It was soothing and calming to him, even as it crashed against the rocks that his villa was perched on. Since his first meeting with the Senator, had had not been able to shake the feeling that he was making some sort of mistake, but he knew not what he would do if this deal did not go through.

"And this, Senator, our final model, and perhaps the greatest of them all. The proposed construction for the new amphitheater."

Naraku nodded as he walked around the table holding up the grand model, face impassive as ever, though he surveyed the amphitheater with such intensity, for a moment Takumi thought it might light itself on fire.

After much too long a pause, Naraku turned away from the table, meeting Takumi's eyes.

"It is grand. And very detailed, it is clear you have done your research. Unfortunately, I don't believe that it is quite worth Imperial investment, the countryside holds very little interest to the Emperor."

Takumi exhaled sharply, he had not expected a flat and outright 'no'. Why would the Emperor send this Senator to Pompeii if he were not interested in investing? He felt a surge of desperation. How would he explain this to Mai?

Finding his voice, he stated, "My understanding was that the Emperor was interested it-"

Naraku held up a hand, cutting him off. "It would seem that Emperor Titus has his sights set firmly on Rome."

Takumi knew not how to respond, and so he settled on silence, walking over to the window to gaze out at the sea, mind desperately reeling for a backup plan he should have put in place years ago.

"I appreciate your time, Senator. Shall we get back to the festivities?"

When Takumi turned around, he was surprised to see Naraku still there, gazing at one of the models of a Temple with what could only be described as hunger in his eyes.

"I was not finished, Takumi. Emperor Titus may not be interested in investing. I, however, could be persuaded."

Takumi could not help but beam, the little hope that Naraku had dangled in front of him on a thread restored, and all foreboding was instantly thrown to the wind. Maybe it was unwise to put all of his stock in one man's promise, but it was better than he could have hoped for, and desperation and the desire to provide stability for one's family could make even the most sensible man do impulsive things.

Naraku held his arm out, and Takumi gave it a moment's thought before extending his own arm, grasping Naraku's forearm as the two shook on their deal.

"I'll have the papers drawn up, and you have my word that my mark will be on them by tomorrow, after your games. I do believe a drink is in order."

Nodding, still smiling, Takumi gestured towards the door, "Of course. Shall we go and rejoin our guests?"

With an imperceptible shake of his head, Naraku smiled, though Takumi had to fight back a shiver when he realized the smile looked predatory, and did not quite meet the Senator's eyes.

"Perhaps your daughter can bring it."

Takumi's smile faded, confusion taking its place. "My daughter?"

When Naraku did not respond, Takumi nodded. "Yes, of course. My daughter." Having Kagome bring the demon a drink to keep him placated could not hurt anything, and he rationalized as he swept past Naraku, back to his guests, to look for his daughter. Anything to keep Naraku happy, at least until he had those papers in his hands.

Desperation certainly did do something sinister to even the most honest and caring of men.

* * *

Sango watched as Kagome, looking slightly frantic emerged from an empty room, followed closely by her mother, and made straight for the table where the wine was being served. Clutching her own now empty tray of food she had brought up from the kitchens, she was about to go to her friend when she noticed that Kagome was not alone, but had caught the attentions of the young Priest. Instantly, her cheeks reddened, as they tended to do when she caught of a glimpse of Miroku in public, and she turned away, only to nearly stumble into Takumi.

"Sango!" He was slightly breathless, and though he smiled, it looked rather pinched, more forced than Sango had ever seen his smile. Normally his natural good nature led to boisterous laughter and genuine smiles, but not tonight. He had pressing matters on his mind tonight.

"My lord", she gave him a polite head nod.

"Have you seen my daughter?" Takumi scanned the room and did not give Sango time to respond before adding, "When you see her, please send her with wine to the model room that faces the ocean. I must find my wife."

Although a little taken aback by the brusque manner in which he was ordering her around, Sango quickly nodded and curtsied. "Yes, my lord. Right away. I believe Lady Mai went in the direction of your chambers, I would try looking for her there."

With another quick, albeit pinched, smile, Takumi fled and Sango had no choice but to go and interrupt Kagome and Miroku's conversation.

"Begging your pardon, my lady, good Priest." She curtsied to both of them, feeling slightly awkward to have to keep a formal façade up around the two people she knew most intimately, but though Miroku knew about the closeness of her and Kagome's friendship, Kagome still did not know about Miroku, and she intended to keep it that way.

Sango turned her attentions to Kagome without looking at Miroku for too long – though she could feel his eyes on her even as she turned to speak to her friend. "Kagome, your father seemed as though he had an urgent matter, you are to bring wine to the model room, the one closest to the sea."

Kagome looked a little shocked, but she nodded, drained the rest of her wine, and then picked up two new goblets to take with her.

Without thinking, Sango leaned in and whispered to her, "Please be safe."

Kagome's eyes widened, and then she nodded. "You as well, Sango."

The look her closest companion sent in the directed of the Gladiators did not go unnoticed, and the intensity of it went straight to Sango's heart.

Watching Kagome hurry off in the direction of the model room, Sango was about to turn her attentions back to Miroku, and was instantly surprised when she felt a small pinch on her behind. Squealing, she turned around, but Miroku was already gone.

Caught between seething anger and amusement – his favourite part of her was her behind, but how dare he embarrass her in front of guests – Sango busied herself in picking up empty goblets to take back down to the kitchen.

Perching her tray on her hip, Sango was intercepted again by Mai.

"My lady! Lord Takumi was searching for you. I believe he went to your chambers to-"

Mai cut her off, grasping at her wrist desperately, and she could see the desperation in the Lady's eyes.

"Sango, you have always been the closest friend to my daughter. You are like a daughter to us, even despite the formality that you feel, and the need to keep busy by doing servant's chores."

The brunette was touched, and she gave Mai a rare smile, the ones that she saved for the most special occasions. But Mai wasn't finished.

"You know her the best. You were with her in Rome. What happened to her? Who hurt my daughter?"

Sango opened her mouth to answer, but realized that she didn't have any, and closed it again. Humans were treated abysmally for the enjoyment of demons, that was one thing she and Kagome never had to speak of, but she knew that it haunted them both. Whatever had been bothering Kagome was more than that, though, and Sango wished that they had more moments alone, as Kagome seemed she was finally ready to tell her what was going on.

But would she have really betrayed Kagome's confidence even if she had known?

Choosing her words carefully, deciding that there was no use in denying the truth, because they could all see the change in their lively and positive Kagome, she finally said, "Lady Kagome has not yet given me the details of what has been haunting her since Rome, but I'm sure she will speak to all of us about it when the time is right."

It was clearly not the answer Mai had expected, but she nodded all the same.

"Thank you, Sango. I only have one more question. Who is that man to my daughter?"

Sango's breath caught in her throat. The dog-eared slave. It was certainly not proper for Kagome to feel in any way about him, though whatever her reasoning, she seemed more interested in him than any of the eligible noblemen they had met in Rome.

This time, she had to blatantly lie. "He is a slave, Lady Mai. Nothing more."

Sango wasn't sure if she imagined the pain in Mai's eyes or not.

* * *

Unsure why her father was having her deliver wine, but also willing to do anything to help him, Kagome rushed through the villa, trying not to spill a drop out of either goblet in her hand – which was admittedly more difficult to do after drinking wine herself.

She expected her father to be in the room, but when she entered, there was only one man, standing and looking out the window into the darkness. The room was dimly lit, but even so, Kagome could see the long, black hair flowing down his back, and could envision the blood red, soulless eyes.

The eyes that had haunted her every day since she had fled from Rome.

Gasping, Kagome dropped her goblets from pure shock and they clattered noisily to the floor, splattering wine all over the bottom of her dress and the nearest wooden models, but she paid that no mind.

"You." Oh how she hated the way her voice trembled.

This was such a man that could sense fear, smell it, and probably reveled in it. Kagome was determined to stand her ground, but her heart was beating against her rib cage, fluttering as if it was begging to be released.

Her demons weren't just inside the city walls – they were in her home.

Smirking, Naraku turned around.

"Lady Kagome, my dear. We have much to discuss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the good (and bad) news is that I've almost caught up on AO3 to where this fic is on FFN, and posting it here got my butt into gear to actually write some updates! I appreciate all the love I've been getting so much, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I know it's a bit slow getting into the action, but I really wanted to build up the characters and the story line before shit hit the fan (and it will hit the fan).
> 
> Please drop me a line and let me know what you think!


	8. Plight or Fight

**Pompeii | 79 AD**

**The Festival of Vulcanalia**

" _Lady Kagome, my dear. We have much to discuss."_

Memories come flooding back to Kagome as the silky voice caressed her, making her feel instantly sick to her stomach. Memories of riots, of innocent men being burnt into the night, and of the conversation she shouldn't have been privy to, but had accidentally overheard.

Naraku was a half demon.

Half-demons weren't Lords, they weren't Senators. They were slaves and Gladiators. Kagome had no idea how Naraku had managed to obtain such high status, or how he had hidden his half human blood from the other demons. She did not want to know, either. All she had wanted was to forget she had heard anything, to forget the savage practices of the people of Rome.

Yet he had followed her here. The realization hit her, instant and blinding, and she was furious with herself for not realizing it sooner.

He knew that she had heard his secret.

"Have you come to kill me?" Kagome's voice rang out, clear and confident, not a single waver. "You leave my family alone. Kill me if you have to, but I will not let you hurt them."

The Senator's lips curled up into a horrible smile, and he tilted his head to the side, calmly. "There are no need for such hysterics, my dear girl. I wish to invest in the great city of Pompeii, why would I offend the Lord and Lady by slaughtering their daughter?"

His words may have been kind, but there was a wicked glint to his red eyes.

Kagome's heart began to pound as Naraku took a step closer to her, and she took a step back.

"You expect me to believe that the sole reason for your arrival in Pompeii is to invest?"

"Well. You are an astute girl, after all. What do you believe?"

After staring at him for a moment, Kagome shook her head, and Naraku sighed, taking another step towards her. Only a few steps further and her back would be against the wall.

"I do suppose there is something else I desire, besides part ownership in this shithole of a city."

It felt like Kagome's heart would pound out of her chest, and it took every ounce of nerve she had to ask, "What's that?"

"You."

* * *

Huffing, InuYasha continued to look around the room. The noblewoman who had stopped her cart to help one of his fellow Gladiators had stepped into his line of sight and then disappeared as quickly as she had come. He had never taken much notice of women before, not really. Other Gladiators spoke of a woman's touch, and he'd always wondered if it was a welcome distraction, or a distraction that would one day get them killed.

He certainly did not appreciate being shackled, and had tried to plan multiple escape routes that only involved killing the bare minimum he needed to flee safely, but there were too many people. Too many innocent people, and though he slaughtered Gladiators unflinchingly, he would not let anything happen to a woman or a child.

Besides, he was fast, but he had no prior knowledge of the lay of the land.

Feeling exposed in a way he had not felt in a very long time, he tried not to flinch when old women would come and run their hands along his chest, or try to poke and pull at his ears. They were just  _ears_ , for fuck's sake. Everyone had them.

Bankotsu, however, was standing in front of him, clearly reveling in the attention.

"If it is going to be your last night, you may as well enjoy it." He winked at InuYasha, who felt so disgusted he turned the other way.

Out of nowhere, the earth beneath him started to tremble, and then to shake, and the guests around him shrieked, gasped, and cowered.

InuYasha himself covered his head with his hands as best as he could with the shackles, and nearly toppled off the block he was to stand on. It was everything he could do to keep on his feet, but he wanted no reason for the slave traders to give him any needless lashings.

As soon as the shaking started, it was over, and InuYasha frowned. The smell of sweat, urine, and fear hung in the air.

Behind him, Bankotsu started to clap. "Now that is what I call a party."

Almost as an afterthought, a statue keeled over and shattered into pieces.

"Is this common?"

"It is the mountain. It grumbles from time to time."

* * *

It was everything Sango could do not to start shrieking and continue shrieking until the end of time. Even after the earth trembling was over, she herself shook so fiercely that it rivaled that of the earth. She stayed huddled in her tight and tiny ball, almost as if holding herself tightly would erase the trauma of the past.

"Sango! Sango!"

Sango was certain that was Kagome's voice, and she felt instantly soothed. At least she was alive. Hopefully all patrons were still alive. The shaking had not gone on for too long, nor had it been as violent as that fateful day when she lost her family, but it had still affected her.

Vaguely, Sango felt Kagome brushing at her hair, and she attempted to take deep breaths, though every breath she took made her feel as if she were to burst into sobs.

"I'm sorry, Lady Kagome."

"Sango! There is no need for apology, please. That gave everyone quite the scare."

Finally, after what felt like hours but could not have been longer than a few moments, Sango uncurled her arms from the grasp on her legs, and started to breathe slightly deeper.

"I have no idea how the golden eyed half demon managed to stay on his feet. Even all the other demons went down. And most of the Gladiators."

Sango forced a small smile. "Your mother was asking me about him. The golden eyed demon. About what he is to you. I believe she may suspect he has something to do with you fleeing Rome."

"Oh, dear." Kagome exhaled, and then clasped Sango's hands.

"Senator Naraku proposed."

"He – a proposal?!"

"You are aware how horrible he is. I said no, of course. But he had hinted at investing in the city, and I'm unsure as to whether he still will decide to invest."

"Oh my lady, that is not your fault if he decides to pull his investment."

Kagome shook her head, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "I always thought I'd do anything to protect my city and my family but I – I can't do that. I can't let that man be the Lord of Pompeii. He's too horrible. And what's more, I can't imagine myself being his wife. I couldn't bear it. I saw a look in that man's eyes, tonight, Sango. The same look I saw in Rome."

"But – the Senator never laid a hand on you?"

"Only because I left Rome before he could. And now Rome has followed us back to Pompeii to turn the world inside out."

"You did the right thing, Lady Kagome."

"Thank you, Sango." Kagome wrapped her arms around Sango, though Sango still found it difficult to relax. "Why don't you excuse yourself for the evening? I know my parents will understand."

Sango contemplated for a moment, about to protest when she decided to take the kindness. "Thank you. Good night, Lady Kagome."

Kagome herself was ready to head up to her chambers for bed, but she couldn't stop thinking about the dog-eared Gladiator. She decided it was high time she introduce herself. She could wish him luck in the festival games that were to be held the following day.

Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, she held her chin up, marching over to where the Gladiators were being kept for show. Kagome truly believed that it was a backwards tradition, though she knew her father was trying to look as impressive as possible for Naraku. If only he knew.

Shaking her head, Kagome huffed. Senator Naraku was the last thing she wanted on her mind.

"Hello", Kagome smiled at the dog-eared demon, coming to rest in front of him. He was standing on a block, making him taller than normal, and she had to crane her neck in order to look at him. "You're the man from the other day, outside the city."

"Keh."

"You showed great compassion."

"Feh."

"Are you going to say anything, or are you just going to scoff at me?"

"Bah."

"I'm Kagome."

"He won't tell you his name." One of the Gladiators standing next to the dog-demon chimed in, and Kagome sighed.

"For what it's worth – I'm sorry."

"Feh. What would a Roman know about such things?" The half-demon finally spoke, though his hostility shocked Kagome.

"I – I am not a Roman, I am a citizen of Pompeii."

"Then why do I see Rome's evil everywhere I turn?"

That stumped her, and she puffed out a breath of air.

"I'm not part of that. In fact, I resent it as much as you do."

"I doubt that. Was your entire family slaughtered by the Romans? No, you sit here and break bread with them, drink wine with them. Invite them into your home."

"I'm no part of that", Kagome insisted, but it sounded futile, even to her own ears. Carefully, she added, "I'm so sorry. After a year in Rome, I hope to never see it ever again. My father believes that he can bargain with them. I'm not so sure he can."

"Feh."

"Will you at least tell me your name?"

The Gladiator rolled his eyes, and then beckoned for her to move forward. Quietly, only for her to hear, he whispered, "InuYasha."

"Hey!"

One of the slave traders called out to him, and he quickly snapped back up into an upright standing position.

"It was me, I asked him a question and he was answering." Kagome called out, looking at the Gladiator beside InuYasha. She felt flattered that he entrusted her with his name, if he would not give it to anyone else.

She almost swore the other Gladiator winked at her, and she bowed her head. "I must be off. Goodnight." Too afraid to look into InuYasha's eyes once more, she turned on her heel, and hurried away. She would need some time to prepare her quarters as she had dismissed Sango, and she needed to look for her mother to tell her that she had been dismissed. Still slightly dazed from the conversation, she bumped straight into a wolf demon.

"Oh – excuse me, sir." She curtseyed politely, but he grabbed onto her wrist.

Jerking it backwards and out of his grasp, Kagome scowled. "Hey!"

"You're a pretty little thing." The wolf demon whistled.

"And as the lady of this house, I will implore you to be on your way, Sir."

"You aren't the lady of this house, that's Lady Mai."

Technically, he had a point, but that only angered Kagome further. "I am Lady Mai and Lord Takumi's eldest daughter, and I demand that you show me some respect."

The wolf demon grabbed at her again, and smirked, "Lady, I'm Kouga, leader of the wolf demon tribe, and I demand that you do as I say."

"Get off of me!" Kagome pushed the demon, who stumbled backwards. She wasn't certain as to whether he had been drinking wine, or simply was not expecting it, but they were starting to cause a scene.

"Now! If you'll excuse me."

"I don't think so-" Kouga grabbed at her again, and Kagome looked around wildly for any sign of her parents, or one of the guards she had known since she was a little girl. Why was no one coming to her rescue?

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she saw a flash of white, and InuYasha had Kouga by the throat.

"She told you to leave her alone."

Kagome blinked, shocked. Now that a Gladiator had stepped out of line, there was a flurry of commotion. Immediately, two of the slave trainers had grabbed InuYasha by the arms and pulled him backwards, onto his knees. He kept his gaze trained on the floor, until one of the trainers grabbed a fistful of his hair, and yanked his head backwards. Two swords appeared at InuYasha's neck, and Kagome screamed.

"What is the meaning of this?"

A tall, though thin demon appeared at the heart of the commotion. He had flowing, white hair, much like the other dog-eared demon. He looked right at Kagome, and, as they made eye contact, she gasped. His eyes were molten gold. He looked so much like the Gladiator it could have hardly been a coincidence.

"I asked a question." The demon's voice got even lower, quieter, but somehow it seemed more intimidating.

Another sword was added to the mix, pointing right at InuYasha's throat, and Kagome's hands flew to her mouth. Naraku.

"Please. Please, this Gladiator was only trying to protect me. I'm unharmed." Kagome found her voice, pushing her way to the middle of the cluster.

"But I'm not – he dared to strike his better. That is punishable by death."

Kouga hardly seemed to be InuYasha's better, but Kagome wasn't sure that making that remark would help the situation any.

"If I were to spare the life of this slave, what would that be worth to you?" Naraku continued to stare at InuYasha, though Kagome knew that it was directed at her.

"I believe he is my slave." The regal dog-demon noted.  Kagome couldn't help but feel resentment at how bored he sounded with the proceedings.

"And as a Senator of Rome, I believe his fate rests in my hand." Naraku turned to face the dog-demon, who nodded with an almost imperceptible flick of his head.

"I want justice." Kouga demanded.

"Well? I believe you understand the question, my dear." Naraku turned to face Kagome now, who looked at InuYasha. His eyes were a gold she could have lost herself in, and as she looked at him, he shook his head.

Would she be willing to sacrifice her freedom for his?

Yes.

"I would be grateful for your mercy."

Naraku smirked. "Well, well. It happens to be your lucky day, slave. The Lady Kagome has just saved your life. Get him out of my sight."

The dog-demon snapped his fingers, and one of the slave traders, who Kagome was certain was called Jaken, appeared to haul InuYasha to his feet.

"What about my justice?" Kouga yelled. "I demand justice."

"I said his life was saved. I did not say he was above the rule of the law. I suggest you punish your slave for his crimes. Say thirty lashes? That should suffice."

Kouga nodded, "Fine, but I get to do it."

"Granted." Naraku swept past Kagome without a second glance, and then out of sight, his guards following closely behind.

"This Sesshomaru has had enough. Jaken. Deal with this." The dog-demon gracefully strolled out of sight, and Kagome looked back at InuYasha, who was staring right at her.

' _I'm sorry_ ", she mouthed, and he shook his head.


End file.
